MARVA Bernard, president of Netball Jamaica (NJ), will demit office today after 10 years in the job.

Dr Paula Daley-Morris will take over as president of NJ.

Under Bernard’s stewardship, NJ has achieved a lot — the senior Sunshine Girls were able to win a bronze medal at 2008 World Netball Championship (now Netball World Cup), the Under-21 team winning a bronze medal at the World Youth Championship in 2010, securing a home (Netball House) for the Sunshine Girls in 2011, and the Senior Sunshine Girls winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games among other things.

Also under the leadership of Bernard, NJ was able to raise a whopping $64 million to offset the cost of sending the senior Sunshine Girls to the Netball World Cup earlier this year where they finished fourth.

In making her intentions known early, Bernard, who has been involved in netball for over 20 years, said that she was looking for a smooth, stress-free retirement.

“I have served as president for 10 years and that time is over now and I am really excited about having a stress-free life. I am looking forward to wake up in the mornings and don’t have any stress on my head going into retirement. The time has come and I am really excited about it,” Bernard told the Jamaica Observer.

“I will now be able to sit in the stands and watch the girls playing in matches and don’t have that president pressure on me. I am going to miss my team and my lovely girls (Sunshine Girls). I am going to miss interacting with the players as we have a good relationship and have achieved a lot,” she added.

“I am going on a six-week vacation and come January of next year I will be joining my husband in our business. I just want to give back to those persons who have been supporting me over the years,” said Bernard, who is an accountant by profession.

She thanked her team for the support over the years when she was president.

“I did my best as president. We achieved a lot, but praises must be given not only to the people that I worked with, but also to the leaders who came before me. They have created and set the platform in which I took up and carry on from,” she said.

Bernard said that the future of netball is in good hands.

“It is time to give the baton to a younger person and I know that she will take care of our family. My advice to Dr Paula Daley-Morris is that she works hard as well as to listen to everyone’s suggestions,” she ended.