Lyn Fleming, left and Faye Eden coached netball at Nelson College for Girls together for the past nine years. Photo: Supplied / Faye Eden
Hundreds of people will gather in Nelson today to farewell Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming - a much loved mother, wife, friend and colleague.
The 38-year police veteran was struck by a vehicle while on patrol in in Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year's Day and died from her injuries.
She will be formally farewelled at a service at Nelson's Trafalgar Centre this afternoon, with full police honours.
Close friend Faye Eden said the most important things in Fleming's life were her family, her work and netball.
Netball coaches Faye Eden and Lyn Fleming. Photo: Supplied / Faye Eden
The pair coached netball together for 15 years, the last nine of which were at Nelson College for Girls, and over that time, built a strong friendship.
"We just laughed, if you saw Lyn at netball she was very serious looking, very straight-faced but she had a good sense of humour and we had so much fun on our trips."
The pair held planning sessions over the phone on Tuesday nights, ran training on Wednesdays and then coached games on Thursdays and went away for numerous camps and tournaments.
"I said my husband shared me with her because we spent 10 months of the year together."
Eden said Fleming always went the extra mile, she also managed a junior netball team and would show up on a Saturday to support others at their netball lgames.
"She was calm, she was kind, if you asked her to come to a training and she was at work, she would leave work, go to the training and go back to work, she never said no and she was so approachable and so humble as well.
She said Fleming was one of the most intelligent women she had ever met and she had a heart of gold - something the wider community recognised too.
"She couldn't sit still, she always had to be doing something.
"She was so private as well, I don't think she would be enjoying all the publicity, but this is about honouring her and she deserves it."
Eden and Fleming had always agreed they would stop coaching if the other decided they'd had enough. Edeb was yet to decide if she would carry on coaching without her.
"She was one of my closest friends.
"I'll miss her dearly."
Coach Lyn Fleming, left and Faye Eden, right, with one of the netball teams they coached. Photo: Supplied / Faye Eden
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said Fleming's death had been tough for the community to accept.
"I think the Nelson community have really come together in quite a remarkable way over the last couple of weeks. It really was a terrible way to begin 2025 here in Nelson and it's not what any of us wanted to have happen.
"There is a real sense of sadness and huge amount of love and support for her family."
She said those that knew Fleming spoke of how she was dedicated to everything she put her mind to.
"I've been talking to people who knew her through netball and one of the things I heard was that some people who worked with her in that netball environment didn't even know she was a police officer. You know, she focused so much on her netball and I think that just goes to the strength of a person that she was really loved in many, many parts of the community."
The invitation-only funeral, with full police honours, will begin at 1pm at Nelson's Trafalgar Centre, with Senior Sergeant's Fleming's casket arriving via a police motorcade.
It will also be publicly livestreamed at Nelson Cathedral, and dean Reverend Dr Graham O'Brien is expecting hundreds to attend.
"The reality with Nelson is everyone knows someone who knows someone so it is a pretty tight-knit community and because of Lyn's length of time in service as a policewoman but also the length of her time in service in the wider community.
He said there had been an amazing response to the condolence books put out to honour her.
"Here we are on our sixth book which just shows over the last two weeks how important it has been for the public to feel they can offer their support in a very tangible way to Lyn's family and also to the wider police family."
Reverend O'Brien said while there was anger in the community, he hoped today's focus will be on Fleming's family, friends and colleagues, with the rest left to the court system.
A 32-year-old man, whose name is suppressed, was arrested in Buxton Square on 1 January and is facing eight charges, including murder, attempted murder and using a vehicle as a weapon. He will next appear in the High Court at Nelson on 14 February.
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