Tennis Auckland Life Member - Colleen Rose Edmonds

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Life Member, Colleen Rose Edmonds.

Colleen was what you would call a tireless volunteer for well over seventy years of her life. Tennis in Auckland was the lucky recipient of her passion to help.

Back in the 1950s, the so-called ladies' committee was made up of the wives and parents of the male committee members of Tennis Auckland. They were the billetors of the overseas players, the caterers at the major events, the organisers of fundraising dinners and balls at the Peter Pan, and they became the organisers of ladies' midweek interclub and tournaments, among many other things where the services of a woman were required. We especially remember the past Life Members Rae Reynolds, Elsie Belcher, Joy Charman, and Leslie Adams, who were the pioneers of women's tennis in Auckland.

Colleen was one of those pioneer wives, her husband Murray becoming a committee member of Tennis Auckland in 1965 until his untimely death in 1976. This left Colleen with a gap in her life, so in 1977 she became a member of Tennis Auckland committees for the next 32 years. She was a member of the Interclub Committee when interclub was all done by volunteers: the draws, the scheduling, and the results. As well as weekend interclub, Colleen was the Ladies' Midweek Convenor of the Ladies' Section of Tennis Auckland.

The Ladies' Section was very active in those years, running graded tournaments and charity events for the Murray Halberg Charity, and each year a sizeable donation was made to that organisation.

But Colleen did not stop there. When the Association was reorganised to bring interclub in-house, she continued her service with the Major Events Committee. Again, as a volunteer, she was a huge part of On Court Services. Her job was to recruit and oversee all the ushers around the stadium, supply towels and beverages on court after each game, and, in her own words, be the major events "dog's body."

For many years, Colleen was approached to be nominated as President of Tennis Auckland but always refused, with the comment, "I am not a talker, I am a worker," and that is exactly what she was.

Colleen was made a Life Member in 1996.