SHE'S been running around rugby league fields for most of her life.
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More recently Bec Austin from Smiths Lakes has mixed footy and the beach.
She's been rewarded for both.
Last week 47-year-old Rebecca was named the NSWRL Volunteer of the Year for the East Coast Region.
East Coast takes in the area from Forster-Tuncurry to the Queensland border.
Earlier the Pacific Palms Surf Club member was named the Lower North Coast Branch Trainer of the Year.
"I was nominated for the State award as well, but I missed out on that one,'' she said.
A self confessed 'footy head' Bec was introduced to league as a young girl by her dad.
"He was a Bulldogs supporter," she said
"Dad didn't have any sons - he was lumped with two girls, so from when we were really young my sister and I would go to the footy,.
"It was okay, we really loved it...rolling down the Terry Lamb Hill at Belmore, Leichhardt Oval was a good place as well.''
She played a bit of touch footy as a girl but really, she wanted to play league and in that era, the game was virtually off limits to females.
Her role increased from avid spectator to participant when her son started playing in the Mt Druitt junior league when she took on the job as league safety trainer.
That was just the start as she eventually became involved with the Western Sydney Academy.
She's now a committed Penrith Panthers fan and takes particular pride in Penrith forward Moses Leota's career.
"I used to drive him to training when was a junior,'' she said.
"I just love seeing that...kids starting out then going on to dance on the big stage.''
She also played a big role in starting rugby league for girls in the Penrith district a decade ago.
"I spoke to Yvonne Purtell, the manager of the Penrith Junior League and said we needed to get something started for the girls.
I'm not one of those mums who sits back and watches. I wanted to be involved.
- Rebecca Austin
"Yvonne said 'you get the players and we will'."
So she did:
"We started off with three teams in under 12s playing nine-a-side.
"Now there's teams from under sixes right through to seniors."
She's also excited at the way women's rugby league has boomed and added that it's 'fantastic' that Kylie Hilder, the coach of the NSW women's State of Origin side, lives in Forster.
However, Bec wanted out of western Sydney, opting for a better lifestyle for her three children.
The family moved to Krambach five years ago and Rebecca linked with the Wingham Tigers RL club before moving to Smiths Lakes and the Forster-Tuncurry Hawks.
Her son, Bronson, plays with the Hawks under 14s and Rebecca is a trainer for the junior league teams along with the Hawks senior grades.
While the results haven't been great at senior level in the past couple of seasons, Bec is confident there's better times ahead for the mighty Hawks.
"There's a lot of talent out here,'' she said.
"But being a regional area and it's hard with jobs...players have to move away for work. But I think next year will be our year.''
Moving to Smith's Lakes and wanting her kids to be beach smart prompted Bec to join Pacific Palms Surf Club.
"I wanted my kids to be know what a rip looks like and know what to do if they got into trouble,'' she said.
Her own surf experience was limited to sun baking.
But when he kids joined the surf club, Bec knew she was going with them.
"I'm not one of those mums who sits back and watches. I wanted to be involved,'' she said.
"So I went to Troy McGeachie, who as the director of lifesaving and asked what I had to do. He signed me up to do my bronze medallion and it went from there.''
So when winter changes to summer Rebecca swaps her footy trainer's gear for a surf cap.
It's an endless cycle and one she's passionate about.
"Oh yeah,.
"I want to be doing this for a lot more years yet.''
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