This column has been championing for more recognition for Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Dick McTaggart.
Indeed, I put my weight (and there is a fair bulk of that these days) behind any local sportsperson achieving national and international fame.
Word now reaches me that the late Annette Mooney (nee Pearson), the former Menzieshill outstanding water polo goalkeeper, is to be inaugurated into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame in Stirling for the honours she brought to the sport.
“Annette had an outstanding career in the sport and she started her swimming as a beginner at Menzieshill High School pool,” said international water polo coach Frank Jordan.
“She joined the NCR swimming and water polo club and won swimming events at Scottish age group championships and Midlands District.
“When she came to Menzieshill High, she kept up her progress in the sport and was a member of the school swim team which set up a world record for a 24-hour relay.
“She took up water polo when she arrived at the school and became the most outstanding goalie in the UK, and took part in two European Championships and a world competition in Madrid in 1986. She also played in pre-Olympic Games and played in tournaments all over Europe, ending up with 60 caps for Great Britain.”
Annette stayed with the sport after leaving school.
Frank, of Lochee, continued: “She went to Stirling University, then worked for NCR in Dundee and Tayside House as a computer analyst.
“Annette captained the Menzieshill ladies team that won the British Championships in 1984, defeating Runnymede 10-5 in the final.
“She was the overall best Scottish water polo player in 1984, the first female to win this honour, and also picked up the Scottish BBC Schools Personality accolade in the same year.”
Annette becomes the first female and the first player in the Midlands area to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
She passed away in January in Edinburgh, leaving her husband Gavin and three daughters Caitlin, Beth and Grace.
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