‘She’d be hating this right now’, says slain police officer Lyn Fleming’s netball sidekick

Tuesday, 14 January 2025

Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming was a widely respected police officer, and a loved and cherished daughter, sister, mother and wife. But for Faye Eden, Fleming was a co-netball coach and her friend of 15 years. The pair were described by a player as “the dream team”. Eden and former player Emma Solly spoke to senior journalist Catrin Owen ahead of the police officer’s funeral on Thursday.

It was just after 2am on New Year’s Day, Fleming, 62, and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were conducting a routine foot patrol when they were struck by a vehicle in Nelson’s Buxton Square.

A man has since been charged with Fleming’s murder, Ramsay’s attempted murder and other charges.

Fleming is the first woman to be killed in the line of duty and will be farewelled at a special funeral service on Thursday at the Trafalgar Centre.

For Faye Eden, the last few weeks have been “pretty tough”. She’s lost her sidekick on the netball sidelines, and a friend.

Eden coached alongside Fleming for 15 years at two Nelson high schools. Tuesday nights won’t be the same, she said.

“Every Tuesday at 7pm we’d talk on the phone, even if the family dog needed her. This was our time on the phone to sort out the game plan.”

The pair started out coaching together at Waimea College and led the girls’ team to victory in the South Island tournament, something Eden said was “pretty rare” for a co-educational school. The pair took the team to nationals five years in a row.

Fleming was promoted in the police and moved to the other side of Nelson, where she began coaching at Nelson College for Girls. A year later, Eden joined and the pair coached the Senior A team together for 9 years.

“She was the good guy and I was the bad guy,” Eden said.

“She was so calm and one of the smartest ladies I’ve ever met. So humble and patient. She’d be hating this right now. It just isn’t her.”

Eden said a lot of people in the netball community didn’t even know Fleming was a policewoman, but she was someone who supported anybody and championed the underdog.

“That’s just who she was. She hated hugs so I’d give her one everyday,” Eden chuckled.

The pair took their teams on many trips to tournaments and shared many memories.

Eden recalled on one trip, while they were travelling back to Nelson from Christchurch with 20 girls, they got stuck in the small Canterbury town of Cheviot. The road had been closed both ways due to snow.

The pair managed to sort accommodation in a pub for the girls and, once they’d found everybody a room, with some girls having to share beds, they realised they didn’t have one and were stuck sleeping on the floor.

For tournaments, Eden and Fleming would share a room together sleeping in single beds, chatting away until late in the night.

Eden remembered waking up at 1am on one of those trips and noticing Fleming watching something on her phone. It was Shortland St.

“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” Fleming had told her.

“It was the funniest thing and something you’d least expected from her.”

Eden said she was struggling with the decision of whether to return to coaching without her sidekick. The pair had both said they’d “go out together”.

“I’ve told people I’m not going to do it anymore… but I might want to keep doing it for Lyn.”

Emma Solly was coached by the pair, who she described as “the dream team”, and was the Senior A captain last year.

“She [Fleming] was the most genuine person ever. You could go up to her with any problem and she’d have the solution. She was always there for you and she could fix anything with her smile,” she said.

Solly has fond memories of van rides to tournaments, and of the team singing and laughing with Fleming and Eden.

“It’s a time I’ll never forget.”

Fleming coached not only Solly but also her sister.

“I remember being in year 9 and thinking Lyn was someone I aspired to be.”

For Solly and her team mates, the news of Fleming’s death had been a “tough pill to swallow,” “surreal”.

“I now want to push myself to succeed in netball for her. I want to do it for her.”

Solly is about to start a Bachelor in Sport and Nutrition and will continue playing netball at university.

Fleming would leave an “indescribably massive hole” in the netball community at Nelson Girls and across the Nelson community, she said.

Solly said she would honour Fleming at Thursday’s service with her team mates.

Police previously said Fleming’s family have been overwhelmed by the love and support from the community, and the nation.

Tasman District Commander Superintendent Tracey Thompson said that local police are hurting, but have been buoyed by messages of support.

“I want to acknowledge the overwhelming response that we’ve had from our community and from around the country,” Thompson said.

“The expressions of grief and condolence and offers of support help give us strength. It’s a reminder, in these sad times, of the reason that we come to work everyday – to serve our communities and work to keep everyone safe.”