By KRISTEN ALEAKIS
THE Angwin name as long been synonymous with the Western Region Football League.
Ron and Thelma Angwin were both involved in the then Footscray District Football League as president and treasurer and now their daughter Meredith, has followed in their footsteps and is now the acting president of the league.
The Angwin family, who has lived in the west for generations, has always loved football and has always been passionate about the Western Bulldogs.
“I was born and bred in Footscray, I grew up here, so we do bleed red, white and blue,” Meredith said.
Ron, who has since passed away, was president of the FDFL for 11 years between 1981 and 1991, so Meredith grew up learning a lot about the goings on of the league.
Fast forward to 2016 and Meredith has now holds the role of acting president.
She took the reins as chair after Bruce Mildenhall and his wife decided to take an extended stay in Greece.
Meredith first joined the board in 2014 after CEO Bob Tregear invited her to join the league.
“My father was involved in the FDFL and my mother as well, so when I was invited to come onto the board I jumped at the chance,” Meredith said.
“I love football and I am passionate about giving back to the community.”
As well as giving back to her community, Meredith has also forged a successful career in IT Consulting, a profession that saw her live and work overseas.
“I have worked overseas from 2004, I worked extensively in Japan, lived and worked in Shanghai, China, spent time working in Singapore and all over Asiana and finally lived and worked in Bangkok, before I came back to Australia,” she said.
Through her senior management roles, Meredith has taken a keen and active role in all aspects of the board’s business since she first joined the WRFL.
“Since joining the board, we have focussed on getting a clear strategic plan and direction for the league,” Meredith said.
“We have been focusing on and ensuring we keep the strong history and traditions of the league going, but also recognising we have to take on change as we continue to move forward.
“There is still a lot of challenges.
“The world is facing a lot of change, no more so than in community sport, whether it be football or cricket or another sport, there is a lot of change happening and we are continuing to face those challenges.”
Meredith said she was proud to be associated with the WRFL and since holding the role as acting president, her involvement with the league has continued to grow.
Moving forward, Meredith said her goals were to continue to run a successful football competition, while also making some improvements in and around the league.
“We have two areas we are working on, firstly is building on our Respectful Cultures of the West initiative,” she said.
“We are particularly focussed on increasing female participation at all levels, whether that is having more women on the board, in an administration roles, as trainers, umpires and obviously having a standalone competition for girls and young women in the future.
“The other thing I would like to focus on is actually getting more collaboration and understanding of what is happening outside of our league.”
Meredith said she would also continue to get the best out of the board.
“We have some really talented people involved, so I want to try and get the best out of everyone on the board.”
Last Modified on 29/07/2016 10:17