The memorial garden had to be relocated because of construction of the new netball/tennis clubrooms, which opened last year.
This prompted the club to build a new dedicated garden beside the netball courts.
Leading the project were fellow life member Judy Plattfuss and her husband Andy.
Deb’s daughters Christie Gavel and Jessie Ibbott — who are both still involved in the club — say they are touched by the gesture.
‘‘On behalf of our family, Jessie and I would like to thank the club and all those involved with reinstalling mum’s plaque and the creation of the new memorial garden,’’ Christie said.
‘‘I get emotional every time I see the plaque. I miss mum every day, but I get emotional when others in the community still reminisce about her and the time she gave freely for the club she loved.
‘‘More so when the memory of the amazing woman she was is shared with those new to the club or too young to remember her, like my own daughter Ellie who never got to meet her. That makes me incredibly emotional.
‘‘Mum was one of a kind and is missed every day, by her family and the community as a whole.’’
Deb played senior netball with Blighty and was a committee member who worked tirelessly to help the Blighty Netball Club.
She died in 2005 after a myocardial infarction.
Her legacy not only lives on through the memorial garden, but also each year at the club’s presentation night.
The Deb Cochrane Award recognises players who respect both players and umpires during competition.
Deb’s husband Chris was also heavily involved in the club before his death in 1998, and both Christie and Jessie played for Blighty in their teen years.
Christie remains actively involved as the club photographer, and has also been known to pull on the red tunic as required.
Both her children, Jack and Ellie, play in the junior ranks.
Jessie, who now lives in Bundalong, attends local games when she can. The oldest of her three children, son Jordy, pulled on the red jumper for her former team last year when extra players were needed one weekend.
‘‘Even though we don’t get to the club as often as we would like, because we live interstate, when I do it’s humbling to know that her memory lives on and is still very much a large part of the club I grew up with,’’ Jessie said.
In addition to the memorial garden, a new honour wall has been created at the clubrooms to honour life members of both the Blighty Netball Club and Blighty Tennis Club.
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