Oral HISTORY INTERVIEWS
Much of the history that we store in our heads is lost as we age or pass away. Oral history is the practice of recording people’s recollections and personal stories for the future.
Our oral history programme captures the ‘lived experiences’ of the hockey family: the great and the good of our sport; coaches, umpires, players and administrators from all backgrounds and levels of hockey.
Oral History Collection
Welcome to the Hockey Museum’s Oral History Collection. These audio recordings capture the personal stories, memories, and experiences of players, coaches, officials, and fans who have been part of hockey’s rich heritage. Each interview offers unique insights into the game’s evolution, memorable moments, and the people who shaped hockey history. Listen to these voices from the past as they share their passion for the sport and their contributions to the hockey community.
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Dawn Bonner is an English umpire, umpire coach and umpire manager. Dawn was a player with Ealing Ladies' Hockey Club during the 1980s and 1990s before qualifying as a Level 2 umpire in 1992 in the South region. Since then, Dawn has been involved with umpire coaching, assessing and umpire management. She joined the National Programme Umpiring Association (NPUA) in 2009 and became a FIH Umpire Manager in 2014.
As of 2023, Dawn is the Vice Chair of Officiating with responsibility for overseeing Development and Appointing for the NPUA in England. She is a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group for England Hockey and an England Hockey Vice President.
In this interview, Dawn discusses her childhood, route into hockey, umpiring qualifications and assessments, training to become an umpire manager, mentoring, and good and bad approaches to umpiring. As a black woman, Dawn also highlights the racism and gender inequality she has experienced both within hockey and in her career in insurance outside of hockey.
Interview date: 2023-09-30
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