THE Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) on Saturday paid tribute to its former president and current head of netball’s world governing body the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA), Molly Rhone, with a special function at the Alhambra Inn in Kingston.

Rhone, who is the only Jamaican to have headed an international sport world governing body, received the country’s fourth highest honour, the Order of Jamaica, at the National Honours and Awards ceremony in October.

She had been presented with the Order of Distinction (OD) 12 years ago and the Commander of Distinction (CD) a few years later.

Saturday’s luncheon was attended by several former Jamaica netballers who played alongside Rhone during her playing days, as well as current and former members of the JNA executive and sponsors.

“The JNA could not let this great honour that has been placed on Molly go by without us just having a function to recognise her achievements. Netball is her life and we are a part of that journey and so it’s a very special day and we just really want to honour (her),” president Marva Bernard told the Observer.

“We just really want to show her how we feel about her and the work that she has done and continues to do for netball,” she added.

Rhone was presented with several gifts including framed photos of herself and her two sons and grandchildren, as well as the other recipients of the Order of Jamaica on the day she received the award at King’s House.

She was also presented with one of the “signature pieces” from the collection of art from national Under-13 development programme sponsors Scotiabank.

“This award is a great honour,” she told the Observer. “You don’t serve to be honoured and it’s great that netball has done this because my award was for sports administration, but in particular netball, and it’s something I’ve been doing since I was 10 years old and I’m very pleased.”

In her thank you speech, Rhone noted that not only has Jamaica done well on the field of play, but also in the administration of the sport.

“Administratively for a small sport we have done better than any other sport in this country.”

In her congratulatory message, Minister of Sport Olivia Grange promised that as part of the celebrations of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence, which will be marked in 2012, she would be committing to have the Leila Robinson Netball Courts restored to a “desirable state for a facility of such importance”.