Colleen Falloon
{{Short description|New Zealand netball player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox netball biography
|name = Colleen Falloon
|image =
|alt =
|caption =
|full_name = Colleen Natalie Falloon
|maidenname = McMaster
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|07|10|df=y}}
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|spouse = {{marriage|Neil Francis Falloon|1971|2006|end=d.}}
|relatives =
|height = 1.70 m
|school = Christchurch West High School
|occupation =
|positions = GA, GS
|nationalteam1 = New Zealand
|nationalyears1 = 1960–63
|nationalcaps1 = 11
|medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{NZL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Netball World Cup}}
{{MedalSilver|1963 Eastbourne|Tournament}}
}}
Colleen Natalie Falloon (née McMaster; born 10 July 1943) is a former New Zealand netball player. She played 11 international matches for the New Zealand team between 1960 and 1963, including at the 1963 World Netball Championships. More recently she has been active in Masters athletics, winning multiple national marathon titles, in the W60, W65, W70 and W75 categories.
Early life
Falloon was born Colleen Natalie McMaster on 10 July 1943.{{cite web |url=https://www.silverferns.co.nz/silver-ferns/history/players/colleen-falloon.html |title=Colleen Falloon |publisher=Netball New Zealand |access-date=9 October 2021}} She was educated at Christchurch West High School,{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19590910.2.195.2 |title=Canterbury has four basketball trialists |date=10 September 1959 |page=19 |work=The Press |volume=98 |issue=28996 |access-date=9 October 2021}} and went on to study at Christchurch Teachers' College.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19610626.2.176 |title=Players for trials |date=26 June 1961 |page=13 |work=The Press |volume=100 |issue=29549 |access-date=9 October 2021}}
Netball career
McMaster began playing representative netball for Canterbury in 1959,{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19590803.2.55 |title=Canterbury unbeaten in South Island tourney |date=3 August 1959 |page=7 |work=The Press |volume=98 |issue=28963 |access-date=9 October 2021}} and was described as "one of the outstanding players" at that year's national netball championships, where she gained South Island honours.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19600803.2.69.5 |title=N.Z. basketball team for tour has young players |date=3 August 1960 |page=11 |work=The Press |volume=99 |issue=29273 |access-date=9 October 2021}}
In 1960, McMaster was selected for the New Zealand team that toured Australia, and was the youngest member of the touring party. She played in 12 of the 16 games on tour, mostly at goal attack, including in two of the three Test matches.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19600917.2.32 |title=N.Z. basketball team did well in Australia |date=17 September 1960 |page=5 |work=The Press |volume=99 |issue=29312 |access-date=7 October 2021}} In the first Test match in Adelaide, New Zealand achieved their first ever victory over {{nnt|Australia}}, winning 49–40. McMaster was omitted from the second Test team, with Betty Steffensen being preferred at goal attack.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19600829.2.71 |title=Australia beats N.Z. |date=29 August 1960 |page=9 |work=The Press |volume=99 |issue=29295 |access-date=10 October 2021}} The game was won by Australia, 44–39, and McMaster returned for the third Test, won 46–45 by Australia.{{cite web |url=https://www.mynetball.co.nz/?view=category&id=333 |title=History |publisher=Netball New Zealand |access-date=7 October 2021}}
McMaster was a member of the New Zealand team at the inaugural World Netball Championships at Eastbourne, England, in 1963. At the tournament, New Zealand recorded nine wins and one loss, 36–37 against Australia, to finish as runners-up. In the game against {{nnt|England}}, won by New Zealand 56–29, McMaster played at goal shooter and was reported as "working accurately and in perfect unison" with goal attack Judy Blair.{{cite news |title=Big netball win of Australia |work=The Times |date=7 August 1963 |issue=55773 |page=3}}
Across her international career, McMaster played in 11 Test matches.
Later life
McMaster was a schoolteacher. In 1971, she married Neil Francis Falloon, a mechanical engineer, and the couple went on to have two children.{{cite news |title=Colleen scores again – in the marriage stakes |date=6 March 1971 |work=Christchurch Star |page=12}} They lived at Muriwai,{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/weekend-herald/20120303/288020508538761 |title=Sweeping statement |date=3 March 2012 |first=Sandra |last=Goodwin |work=Weekend Herald |access-date=9 October 2021}} where Neil Falloon was active in surf lifesaving, as a competitor who won national titles, a referee, and manager of representative teams. He served as district president and district president for Surf Life Saving Northern Region, and was president of the Muriwai Surf Life Saving Club at the time of his death on 7 March 2006.{{cite news |title=Deaths |date=8 March 2006 |work=New Zealand Herald}}{{cite news |title=Deaths |date=10 March 2006 |work=New Zealand Herald}}
Colleen Falloon took up distance running, and by 2012 had run 82 marathons. She was second in the W60 category of the New Zealand national marathon championships in 2004, and won the event in 2006 and 2008. In 2013, she won the W65 category, and in 2014 and 2015 she finished second in the W70 division. She then won the W70 national marathon title in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2021, she won the W75 national marathon championship.{{cite web |url=http://www.wellingtonmastersathletics.org.nz/anz/anz_marathon.html |title=NZ National Marathon Champs |date=24 September 2021 |publisher=Wellington Masters Athletics |access-date=9 October 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{New Zealand squad at the 1963 World Netball Championships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falloon, Colleen}}
Category:People educated at Christchurch West High School
Category:Netball players from Christchurch
Category:New Zealand international netball players
Category:New Zealand netball players
Category:New Zealand masters athletes
Category:New Zealand female marathon runners