The ambassador for Australia Day 2021 celebrations in Goulburn is a professional hockey player Glenn Turner.
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Glenn made his national debut with Kookaburras at the age of 24 in 2009 and is known for his goals per game ratio, playing 136 games and scoring 96 goals.
"Every chance I got, I tried to make it mine and play in good positions and score a lot of goals. There is always pressure to score from others but the main pressure I felt was from myself. If I hadn't scored in a few games, I would feel it," he said.
He has a long list of achievements and has represented Australia at Olympics Games in 2012 and 2016 and won a bronze medal in London in 2012. He won the gold medals at the World Cups in 2010 and 2014 and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. He has also won four Oceania Cups.
Talking about his journey, he said that it started at a young age when he loved playing sports with his friends during the weekend. "I had realised early on that if I did a little bit extra during the week, whether it was running or sit ups, I would get better at the game and be able to help my team win and that motivated me on to do better," he said.
"As I get older, I thought about the next level and despite a few ups and downs, I was able to make it there."
Born in Bowral, Glenn moved to Goulburn in 1998 and lives here with his wife and children. They have a personal training business and has hosted multiple clinics and worked with numerous teams.
He has played at the Indian Hockey League from 2012-16 and played seasons in Belgium, Malaysia and Holland.
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He has travelled to India at least 10 times and has lived there for weeks at a time. "Living in India has been a big experience for me where I learnt a lot more about the people and culture. The big learning that I took from there was we would see families smiling even though they would be living in difficult circumstances. It made me more grateful for what I have and look at things from a different perspective," he said.
He was inducted into the hall of Fame in 2011 and announced his retirement in 2019. Last year, he was appointed as the assistant coach of the New Zealand's national men's hockey team.
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