Hello, this correspondents hopes that you are all well and making plans to get back to the golf course. Putting all our positive thoughts into action via the E-News we hope will give us the desired result we all crave. So it is with much fanfare that this week we are going to celebrate our 11th longest serving member in Barb Alexander.
What a legend this 88 year old woman is, she has been playing golf for some 55 years in various locations around Victoria. Having started her golf at Northern G.C. in Glenroy in 1963 on a handicap of 36 she moved to the Mornington Peninsula where she played Pennant for many years and got that handicap down to 17.
Wanting to test herself at a Metropolitan level she joined Rossdale with her friends Wendy Hope-Waldron and Dot Edwards on 9/12/85. Lois Vanselow was the Lady President and Lorraine Robinson was the Lady Captain and she was made to feel most welcome by all. Starting on 17 and considering her approach and putting game her most advantageous she worked her way to her best handicap of 13 using her original 55 year old putter known as “Old Rusty”.
Collecting a few trophies on the way which include the Secretary Plate, May May plate and several monthly medals. Her greatest achievement was winning the B Grade champion at 75 years old! She has had two hole-in-ones, one at Northern and one on the 3rd at Rossdale. Representing Rossdale in many Bowls and Pennant, admirably she played her last Pennant game at 80 years old, where she thanks her caddies for their advise of “keep your head down”.
As well as being a loyal member of Rossdale Barb is a foundation member of the Devilbend G.C. a delightful course at Moorooduc which also shares reciprocal rights with the Rossdale members. At this club she has been B Grade champion several times and 6 times Club champion. She has been President and Captain of Devilbend several times, as well as President of the M.P.D.G.A.
The annual dinners and functions over the years providing fun and laughter with good friends are the ties that bind Barb to Rossdale and keep her coming back after citing many times about her “retirement”. Still first on the list for the girls trips away and still a strong competitor on Ladies day all without any electrical intervention is amazing. With a few calculations on our pedometers we estimate that she maybe covers 600 kms in a year and over 55 years that’s some 30,000 kms! So Barb, one has to ask, can you walk on water too!?
Barb we congratulate you on your loyalties to golf and applaud your great energies to contributing to the prosperity of two golf clubs. We all look forward to seeing you and “Old Rusty” on the familiar fairways and greens at Rossdale soon.
