Karen’s contribution as a volunteer to the growth and development of all facets of Little Athletics spanned over three decades. She immersed herself in all levels of our sport from grass roots to Board level.

Her involvement in Little Athletics started in 1990 with her children joining Caboolture Little Athletics.

She was involved with Caboolture Little Athletics Centre for 30 years. She served on the Committee at the Centre until 2017 holding numerous positions including (but not limited to) Centre Manager, Secretary, Treasurer, Coaching Co-ordinator, Officials Co-ordinator and PR Officer. Although she stepped down from the Caboolture LA’s committee in 2017, she was still in the background offering advice and help whenever it was needed. Karen was also a regular at LAQ Conferences, acting as a delegate for her Centre. She was never afraid to stand up and debate a motion if she passionately believes something is for the good of the athletes or the Association.

In 2000, Karen was awarded Life Membership of Caboolture Little Athletics.

At Zone and Regional level, Karen held the Zone Coordinator role for two years and was a Centre delegate for her Region for 13 years.

Karen’s involvement on LAQ committees included 13 years as the CAPS Coordinator, Public Relations Chairperson, Coaching Subcommittee and Officials Committee.
In 2005, Karen was elected to the LAQ Board of Management (now Board of Directors) and spent seven years as a General Director, which included two years as LAQ’s Vice President.

Karen was an active Official, serving at Centre, Regional, State and National level. She held the position of Throws Referee at LAQ State Competitions for many years and was also one of our State’s top Race Walking judges. Karen presented at many LAQ Officials courses throughout the State, where she was driven to help Centre members become educated and qualified as officials. At LAQ competitions Karen was a Walks coordinator and Judge, Throws Referee, Throws Judge and Arena Manager. Nationally, Karen was the Medals Coordinator for the 2003 Australian Little Athletics Championships (ALAC’s) and Shot Put Chief at the 2010 ALAC’s.

Karen was incredibly passionate about Coaching, in particular, the Race Walking event and Throws. She was the Centre coach for 22 years and also a coach at numerous LAQ coaching camps and clinics held throughout the State. But her passion was to help the athletes at her Centre. To honour Karen’s dedication, in October 2019 her Centre held a testimonial and fundraiser for her and the inaugural “Karen Wolfenden Walk” took place to honour her love of Race Walking.

She also coached at a number of local schools in the Caboolture area.

Karen had a keen interest in Public Relations and was instrumental in the promotion of Caboolture Little Athletics within her local community. So much so, that her Centre regularly won LAQ’s Centre PR award before she joined the Board. She left a lasting legacy at her Centre, as they won the award 12 out of 17 years!

Throughout her time with our sport, Karen has been awarded with:
• Honour Certificate 1996
• Merit Award 1997
• Coach of the Year 2002
• Official of the Year 2011
• Life Membership 2012

Karen was passionate about the growth and development of Little Athletics in Queensland and believed that attracting more athletes to the sport would benefit the health of our children and have a positive impact on their future.

Sadly, Karen passed away in 2020 after an eight year battle with cancer.