Article provided by Rick Stoker

Abigail Noli was born and bred in Mossman and grew up free to climb Thornton's Peak, rock hop at the Mossman Gorge and ride her bike for hours with her friends.

On the family’s farm she learned to appreciate nature and love the outdoors.

Being of an athletic disposition, Ms Noli’s educational progression was to look for a university that taught Sports Science.  

She was offered diverse placement possibilities and accepted the one at Southern Cross University in Lismore, northern NSW.  Her major was in Exercise Physiology.  

After graduating Abigail returned to Mossman with her degree, where she sadly noted that there were little sports opportunities especially for women, except for social basketball and soccer.  

She excelled at the latter and yearned to test herself against the best, which of course meant Europe.

Ms Noli was picked up by a Division One team in East Holland, for the 1995-96 season.  She had the same coach who taught the top player Mr Van Der Sar, who played with the Dutch National Men’s Team.  

Always playing in first division, she moved on to play in three of Italy’s top teams; Pisa in 1996-97, Milan in 1997-98 where she broke her wrist but continued training with the team and later Monza in 1999-2000.  

Abigail had had a choice to play in Germany, Belgium or Italy but decide on Italy because female football was at its highest quality there, at that time.

It was a great effort for a girl from the other side of the world who was not brought-up living, breathing and playing soccer, as her contemporaries from Europe were.

Between matches as opportunities presented themselves, Ms Noli explored the local districts - after a Saturday game in Sicily she stayed on for the weekend and re-joined her team for training the following Monday.  

During the off seasons she travelled extensively throughout Europe, which included meeting and staying with her relatives in Northern Italy.  

Back home in 2005, Abigail resumed growing flowers on the family farm. 

Having however, seen the sporting, social and community advantages for the young and not-so-young in Europe, she was not satisfied with the overall facilities in her beloved Far North Queensland. 

Being brought up here, she realised that although living in such an isolated part of Australia was fantastic on one hand it had drawbacks on the other.

When the Port Douglas and Mossman district de-amalgamated from Cairns, Ms Noli saw her chance to help expand the local facilities, and so put her name forth to stand as a councillor. 

She was duly elected and is now Deputy Mayor and on one occasion was the Acting Mayor.   

As the fledgling council finds its feet and moves forward, it’s 'the intention of 'Our Abbie', amongst other things, to help support community activities such as DAB, the Clink Theatre and other community groups including sports facilities for the young and not-so-young, in any way she can.

Her determined soccer career in Europe demonstrates clearly that she can get the job done, whatever it takes.