There would be few jobs she has not picked up for the betterment of Southern Rugby Club — and that has just lifted another notch again.
Brenssell was recently appointed president, becoming the club’s first female leader in 144 years.
"It’s a huge honour being the first woman," Brenssell said.
Brenssell has been a stalwart of the club through the years, having originally joined through her first love, netball.
Former Silver Fern and Southern stalwart netball coach, the late Georgie Salter, guided Brenssell to play for the club when she arrived in Dunedin for university.
Later on, the then Southern chairman Ross Faulkner shoulder-tapped Brenssell, saying the club needed a replacement treasurer on the committee — "and they talked me into the job".
"They talked me into the job when Roy Daniels shifted to Christchurch, so I’ve been in ... the treasurer role for 15-odd years."
She has been the heart of the Southern netball chapter as well, serving as president, secretary, treasurer, coach and player through the years.
Looking back through the years, Brenssell — who was given a Netball South service award in 2023 for her dedication to the sport — was proud when Southern won the Dunedin Netball premier title for five years on the trot, and that they had been home to several top-level players.
Watching Southern beat Harbour 24-15 in 2017 to win their first Dunedin club rugby title in 10 years was special, as was going back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
"It’s probably winning the banners, because it brings people out to support people.
"You see people that you haven’t seen for years and that sort of stuff in that sort of situation."
Through it all though, it was the people that mattered most.
"It’s the people that you meet.
"You’re there for the players, because if we didn’t have the players, we wouldn’t have clubs anymore.
"You’ve just to to look that and ... see how they grow.
"Catching up with them on the street — or it doesn’t matter where-ever you are in New Zealand, you actually end up finding people that you know because of the rugby club or netball club.
"It’s quite nice that way."
