Fielding Tanya

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual

Tanya Fielding

Turns out that person who walks past my house every day was a big local roller derby star and is now a pretty good mountain biker! Living right near a train station I see the same people walk past my house all the time.

"I was never tall as a kid, I was always the shortest...." Born at the Hutchinson Hospital Tanya has lived in Evanston Gardens all her life. Initially schooled at Evanston Gardens Primary she would end her schooling at Kapunda High School. She loved sports at school and after a stint in little athletics, she took a real fancy for Basketball playing with the Central Districts Lions Basketball Club.

"Basketball was it for me until my adult life" After finishing school she went straight into work. Subway in the city and The Lyndoch Bakery and Restaurant (Now Sunrise Bakery and Cafe - Lyndoch) were the main breadwinners (I'm so sorry....!) before she moved on to her career in law. In fact the law firm she works at now, Thomson Geer Lawyers, is directly opposite the subway she used to work at. It has all come full circle.

"Basketball for women just kind of fell apart for women in Gawler....." Sadly working full time and women's basketball becoming only available on a Tuesday morning in Gawler (!) meant that Tanya's passion for Basketball started to wane. A basketball friend moved over to Roller Derby, and after a bit of back and forth, Tanya was hooked. They went to one training session and bought the gear the following weekend. She played with Gawlers very own Doomsday Rollers as part of the Rockabellas Roller Derby League Inc. Her derby name is, "Tan-Ya-Ass"

"In Roller Derby, everyone comes from different walks of life, it doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, or what body shape you are, or what gender you are, everybody is welcome. It does become a family" A shoulder injury was enough to make Tanya realise that Roller Derby isn't the way to go this year. After playing for about 6 years (and winning many trophies!) she is taking a well-earned break this season, but her time with Roller Derby is not over. She is the team manager of our Doomsday Rollers, and still contributes as an NSO (non-skating official) during other league games. But her go-to for now is Mountain Biking. And she has Covid to thank for that! Back then you were only really allowed outside in small groups for exercise. One day when she was out with a friend skating along the Barossa Valley Trail someone mentioned taking a bike next time, and the rest is history! She is now an ambassador for Shred Like a Girl and you can find her on the dirt anywhere between the Barossa Valley, Cobblers Creek, and beyond!

First shared on Gawler in Photographs ‘Humans of Gawler’ series 8 November 2023.

Photographs by Daniel James Down. Please click here to visit the Gawler in Photographs Facebook page.

Gawler History Team Inc thanks Daniel James Down (Gawler in Photographs) and the subjects of ‘Humans of Gawler’ for allowing us to preserve their profiles and photographs for future generations of Gawlerites to enjoy.

Please click here to view photos of Tanya Fielding

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