With little fuss and little fanfare, Dell Saunders was inducted as Newcastle's 18th Freeman of the City at Town Hall on Saturday.
True to her selfless nature, the 88-year-old Novocastrian requested a low-key ceremony in recognition of the highest level of service.
Ms Saunders, who was "honoured but humbled" by the prestigious accolade, is synonymous with Newcastle sport, devoting over seven decades to the city as a player, umpire, administrator and advisor.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the award went "some way" to acknowledging Ms Saunders' efforts, which included an extraordinary 40-year tenure as president of Newcastle Netball Association (NNA).
"If you've lived in Newcastle you've been helped by Dell Saunders, it's as simple as that," Cr Nelmes said.
"Dell has time for everyone and she's part of the fabric of our city."
Ms Saunders, whose given name is Adele, has served on the Newcastle City Sports advisory committee, the Festival of Sport committee and the Mattara Festival committee.
She helped form NNA, the Hunter Academy of Sport's netball program and umpires section as well as the Hunter's former national league side.
The former representative centre and international umpire is the recipient of multiple awards including the All-Australian Umpire Badge, the Order of Australia Medal and the Australian Sports Medal.
Ms Saunders remains a permanent fixture at National Park netball courts every Saturday manning the umpires office.
"To be an umpire you have to be completely unbiased," Ms Saunders said.
"You have to be fair. You should never penalise someone or inhibit their skills as long as it's within the rules.
"And you have to be able to ignore the brickbats that come your way. If the spectators crowd you, sometimes it pays to run with your elbow out."
The honour of Freeman of the City may be awarded for achievement and service to Newcastle, Australia or humanity.
Previous recipients include former lord mayors Frank Purdue, inducted in 1981, Charlie Jones (1983), Joy Cummings (1987) and John McNaughton (2011) as well as Surfest co-founder Warren Smith (2018) and architect Brian Suters (2021).
