A little over five years ago, she was in Australia as part of the South African netball team. But while warming up for a training session ahead of a Test series against Australia at the AIS, she fell awkwardly and ruptured her ACL ligament in her right knee.

It meant two years out of the national league and almost three out of the national team which also included time-out after having her son.

But now after captaining South Africa at last year's world championships Bock-Jonathan is aiming to turn her memories of Canberra into better ones as she starts her role as as ACT Academy netball coach and Canberra Darters head coach.

ACT Netball originally contacted Bock-Jonathan to be a marquee player-coach in Canberra's bid for a trans-Tasman team. But when the ACT didn't get into the new ANZ Championship, it decided to offer her a coaching job instead.

Bock-Jonathan has captained South Africa at a senior and under-21 level, and played at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games. At the latter, she was the flag bearer for the South African team at the opening ceremony.

But Bock-Jonathan has only been involved in coaching and netball on a part-time level, or as much as she could fit in, because of her academic work as a sports scientist.

She is actually, Dr Bronwyn Bock-Jonathan, after completing her PhD in exercise science.

''I've always wanted to live and work abroad and to work full-time in netball, that's just a dream. I've never been a full-time coach, it's something I had to fit [in] part-time, and also because I have just finished my PhD, and I've been a sports scientist, an academic, but I haven't been a practitioner, so I'm really looking forward to it,'' Bock-Jonathan said.

Bock-Jonathan said when she told her colleagues at Stellenbosch University she was leaving, most found it tough.

''Half the people were really excited for me, but the other half were disappointed because I think they thought they were losing expertise,'' she said.

''But I feel I am gaining expertise here.''

Bock-Jonathan said that after her four-year contract in Canberra expired, she may head back to South Africa.

''It's a difficult question to answer, this chance to live in Australia only became an option this March really, so it happened so quickly, I'm not sure what might happen,'' she said.

''But whatever happens, it will always be a family decision now.''

Bock-Jonathan's husband, Marvin Jonathan, plays for the South African baseball team.

He is aiming to keep playing in Canberra this summer, which will allow him to feed his statistics back through to the South African selectors and keep his place in the squad.

His goal is to play in the World Baseball Series next January.

But for the past four months, his main priority has been the couple's two-year-old son, Jordan.

''The lifestyle Australia has to offer was an attraction, there is a lot of emphasis on quality and time with family, which is so important,'' Bock-Jonathan said.

Canberra might be a chance for Bock-Jonathan to take a little bit of a step back.

After all, she has managed to fit getting a PhD in exercise science, becoming a mother and captaining a national team in the past four years.

''I'm very focused on using my time efficiently ... basically the only time I can sit through a movie is if I go to the movies. If I try to watch one at home, I'll always find something else to do.

''But I was always juggling with sport and academic commitments, if I took a holiday it would take a week for me to switch off completely.

''But to be involved in netball 24-7 is a dream job.''

2008 AUSTRALIAN NETBALL LEAGUE

The Canberra Darters' first game is at home versus Western Australia on August 2.