It has been four years since the 28-year-old was last on court.
Concussions curtailed a promising basketball career that had taken her to the fringes of the highest level of the game in Australia.
She has lived in Melbourne for much of the past seven years, initially playing professionally then working in fitness centres after her enforced retirement four years ago.
Family brought her home to Dunedin for stints more recently, although this stay is likely to be a little longer.
The former Kavanagh College pupil has been appointed as Basketball Otago’s women and girls ambassador.
In that role, she hopes to build the pathway for young girls right through to the Otago Gold Rush.
Certainly, it might help her recapture some of what seemed lost.
"Especially when you’re young — you write down your goals and your dreams and you work every day to make that happen,’’ she said.
"Then for it to come to a complete falter was a bit of a heartbreak.
"But in the same sentence, I was determined for that not to be my story, not to be that basketballer that almost made it.
"I still put a positive spin on it now.
"It definitely is hard. It’ll still kind of be a sore spot, knowing there was more to come.
"But now it’s just helping other people do it, and having that adversity helps you have a different perspective on the game.’’
Gallaher had been coming off a fourth impressive season for Melbourne’s Hume City Broncos in the Big V.
A WNBL contract was in the works, and the regular Tall Fern was preparing to head to the Olympic qualifying tournament.
The day before leaving, she was told after her last concussion — her ninth — to medically retire.
It was a decision she ultimately made herself and one she described as "a dagger to the heart’’.
After never recovering from her first head knock — less was known about concussion at the time — each one that followed just compounded the damage.
Headaches, sensitivity to light and memory issues followed.
Gallaher had 16 months of not being able to go to a stadium, as the lights and bouncing of balls were too much for her brain.
Recovery was a slow process and began with her staring at a dot on a wall.
It was a lot to go through for a 24-year-old who had achieved so much, but had so much more to offer.
She has battled with post-retirement identity issues.
Only in the past six months has she started to come to terms with it.
Gallaher is comfortable around the game again and after four years off is slowly exploring a return to playing.
There is a lot to go through to reach that point, and returning to Otago Gold Rush would be special.
If not, she would be happy to be back involved and excited to do what she could to boost the women’s game in the region.
"To some degree, basketball has been my identity. Then it’s having to figure out: what are you going to do? What impact? Where can you find your mark?
"I trialled and errored a few things. This year, being back home and being around familiar faces and the cool community here has been nice to ease back into it, pick up the ball again and things.
"I always bleed blue and yellow.’’
