As children from Tamworth Public School negotiated a cross-country course through the park, cheered on by their parents beneath a perfect blue dome, the 41-year-old mother of two sat on a bench, on a crisp morning, and enthusiastically unpacked her life.

It's a fulfilling, stable existence in which she lives in her childhood home at Attunga, where her 11-year-old daughter, Kelsie, sleeps in her childhood room. It is where she introduced her boyfriend, Matt, to her Kiwi-born parents, Lorraine and Graham Chilton, in 1996 and then married him in 2003.

The couple began dating after they met on a school excursion to Central Australia while in year 10 at Oxley High.

"It's a bit of a fantasy story, isn't it?" Lisa said of her life, adding: "We've never had a falling out ... He's my best friend. Very lucky."

Lisa and Matt bought her childhood home in 2004. Her family previously owned a sheep farm at Attunga, and operated Charlie's Takeaway in Tamworth for many years. Lorraine now lives at Bribie Island, while Graham returned to New Zealand to live.

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"Both remarried, both very happy," Lisa said of her folks.

"It's familiar," she continued, in reference to her home, adding that she has had the same neighbours since she was a child. "[I] wouldn't change it, wouldn't change it."

Matt operates Westdale Meats at Tamworth. He presented Lisa with her jersey when she became only the sixth Dungowan Cowgirl to notch 100 games for the club, at Gunnedah this month.

Lisa does the payroll at Teys, where she has worked for 23 years. She naturally gravitated to Dungowan because of Matt's passion for the club.

He captain-coached the Cowboys' reserve-grade side last year but is now retired, although Lisa suspects he may lace up again.

"We call him Johnny Farnham because he's retired so many times," she said. "He gets the itchy feet when he goes and watches a game, and he's back on the field."

She began playing for Dungowan in 2014, and said she would have reached the 100-game milestone sooner had it not been for "a couple of pretty extensive injuries", including "a really bad buster off a horse a couple of years ago" that left her with a dislocated and fractured shoulder.

"Love it. It's an addiction," she said of playing league tag. "I'm really happy to be a part of a club that's family orientated," she added. "I've got some friends in that group that will be friends for life."

The Cowgirls have three wins from five matches this season and are sixth on the ladder - two points behind ladder leaders Moree, whom they host on Saturday.

Kelsie will play her first league-tag game when she runs out for the Cowgirls' under-14 side at a gala day on June 19. Lisa and Matt also have a 15-year-old son, Cody.

Cowboys first-grade co-coach Luke Taylor used to coach Lisa at the Cowgirls. He said:

She was "held in very high regard by her teammates", he added, and was "usually softly spoken, but can be the life of the party when she lets her hair down".

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