Ulladulla's Kalindi Commerford and Gerringong's Grace Stewart are currently preparing for the 2020 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League seasons.
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The duo has joined their second-ranked Hockeyroos in Sydney to prepare for the opening match day of double- headers against Belgium on Saturday, January 25 at the Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre.
Kalindi and Grace know playing for their country is a great honour, but they also know issues around them are also of great importance.
The recent bushfire and the state of the environment around her beloved Milton/Ulladulla area are always in Kalindi's mind.
She is putting her hockey stick and own money on the line to support a cause close to her heart.
For every goal scored by the Belgium and Australian men's and women's teams she will donate $50 and for every goal she scores $100 will be donated.
The star hockey player hopes others will join in and pledge some funds.
All funds will go to Treading Lightly and their details can be found on the group's Facebook page and Instagram accounts, or on Kalindi's Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Treading Lightly is an environmental organisation that promotes events and activities that educate and encourage positive change towards a more sustainable future.
The group has a strong Shoalhaven presence.
"Firstly I want to do this because my community is a huge part of my foundation as a person," Kalindi said.
"They have supported me in so many ways, especially through my sporting endeavours and I feel it's necessary to give back to the people who have helped shape who I am and celebrated myself and my achievements over the years.
"Secondly, I am doing this because I was home in Milton over summer and experienced the fires first hand.
"I lived under the smoke covered skies that rained ash, experienced the diminished tourism, felt the effects of smoke in my lungs and know people who have lost their homes and livelihoods as a result.
"I can resonate with the feeling of being under threat and the associated stress.
"I have a personal connection to this, so for me, this is an easy decision.
"I consider myself lucky every time I get to play for my country, however, to be able to place an emphasis on the people of the south coast in my home is incredibly humbling and inspiring.
"I feel so saddened by the fact that a place I call home and consider a place of sanctuary and solace has been scarred by this fire season. I have no doubt it will return to its former beauty but I want to help accelerate this process. "
Kalindi, hockey wise, has many things she wants to achieve.
"I want as much success with my team as possible. We are all dedicated to the process in order to win gold at the Olympics," she said.
"However, we have the 2020 Pro League where we want to win against the world's best and develop our style of play.
"We want to learn as much as possible about oppositions but more importantly about ourselves."
She has set her sights on an Olympic gold medal.
"The obvious goal for any athlete in an Olympic sport this year is to win gold at the Tokyo Games in July/August," she said.
"That is no different for me. However to get there I want to have consistent performances throughout the year, be a regular inclusion in team selections, remain injury-free and be at my peak come July.
"I don't like to set standards for myself because I find it can be limiting.
"This year I intend to push myself to get myself to a place of performance, physically and mentally I have not yet reached."
She is looking forward to playing Belgium this weekend - a team she rates highly.
"I rate our chances against any team. I will always back the arsenal this group of incredibly talented and diverse women provide," she said.
"We are in the best physical shape we have ever been in and playing really fast creative hockey at the moment.
"In saying this, Belgium is a tough opponent, we have lost our last two matches against them.
"Everyone will need to turn up on the day to get the job done."