Anne Sargeant reduced to tears by surprise visit of daughter at Netball Australia awards night
Netball great Anne Sargeant was accepting a special award when she turned round, gasped and started to cry. She later described it as “one of the most beautiful moments of my life.’’
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Anne Sargeant has alway been particularly good at two things - sinking goals and talking about the sport she played at the highest level and still loves with a great passion.
But one of Australia’s best players and netball commentators found she couldn’t do one of those things - briefly at least - on the weekend.
Sargeant broke down in tears when the sport sprung a surprise on her she never saw coming.
The Manly Warringah netball legend was, along with the late Margaret Pewtress OAM, on Saturday night honoured by being elevated to Legend status in the Netball Australia Hall of Fame.
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Watching a congratulatory video message from her daughter Kendall who now lives in the US, Sargeant was stunned when she turned around to find her daughter on the stage with her.
“It was the best moment of my life and the best night of my life,’’ said Sargeant, who lives at Palm Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches.
“I can’t believe they kept it such a secret.’’
Sargeant later learned her daughter Kendall had been hiding at a friends home for 24 hours so her mother did not know she had flown back to Australia from her home in Los Angeles to be at the awards night in the Botanic gardens.
I was so overwhelmed. That was one of the most beautiful moments of my life
Kendall then left again on Sunday, only able to make the flying trip due to the Thanksgiving holiday in America.
“I was wondering what everyone was looking at and I turned and she looked like a vision,’’ Sargeant said after dropping her daughter off at the airport again on Sunday.
“I was so overwhelmed. That was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.’’
Sargeant’s husband Warwick and other members of her family, who had helped organise the surprise, were also at the awards night in Sydney.
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Sargeant said she was honoured to be recognised alongside Pewtress and also former Australian coach Joyce Brown, another netball Legend.
Sargeant is one of the most recognised faces in the game as a player and commentator.
She played for Australia between from 1978-1988, captaining the Diamonds for six years and won two of the three world championship she contested.
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She is also an Australian Sporting Hall of Fame Inductee, a recipient of the Order of Australia and is also a Diamonds selector.
Pewtress was both a player and umpire before turning her hand to coaching at a state and national level and made an enormous impact as an administrator and president of Netball Australia.