Obituaries
Roy & Alma Jellie
ROY & ALMA JELLIE
Long standing members of the Club will be saddened
to hear that Roy Jellie died early in August after having suffered a
serious stroke a year ago. Coincidentally, Roy's death was on the
anniversary of his wife Alma's passing exactly 12 months earlier.
Roy and Alma gave the club great support in the
late 1970's and during the 1980's. As well as providing our playing
ranks with two wonderful competitors in Bill and Kevin (Billy is still
fondly remembered and missed by many at the Club today), Roy and Alma
were stalwarts behind the "bar" and "kitchen" when our single change
room doubled as our social rooms. After games and after training
nights you would often find Roy stocking & setting up the bar, then
serving and finally cleaning up after, and all without ever a
complaint. One of the most memorable images I have of Roy is of him
collecting up all our used cans and bashing away to squash and bin
them in bags to earn a few pennies for our struggling Club. Vale
Roy.
Ray Shannon
Neil Traeger
VALE NEIL TRAEGER
On 17th February 2007, Neil Traeger passed away at home after battling cancer for some years.
As was Neil's way, he told very few of his illness and never complained of his lot in life. So much so that most of us at the Club were unaware of Neil's health problems and that is just how he wanted it.
Neil came to lacrosse as a schoolboy playing at Footscray where he grew up, and a short stint at Melbourne Uni (where Hugh Roche remembers coaching him). Soon after Neil moved out to Research he approached Bob Russell in 1973 about helping out at the Eltham Club. This was a very timely offer, because by this time Bob Russell was finding the task of almost single-handily running the club too much. Neil set about quickly building the senior player base, resulting in our first ever senior men's premiershipin 1975. He also put the club's administration on a firm footing (as many of you will know, he was a stickler for ensuring the club's practices closely matched the club constitution). Next, with the help of Peter Jarvis, he commenced a junior recruitment drive that gained the club a number of under 16 age boys that eventually became the nucleus of later senior teams.
He also enlisted the help of Kendrea Kendall to start a womens team in the area. Although this team was called "Montmorency" and not formally affiliatedwith ELC, it was Neil's initiative that first brought women's lacrosse to Eltham and later some of these early women's players helped Kendrea restart a women's team under the ELC banner.
Peter Jarvis contends that without Neil's efforts in the early to mid 1970's, the Club may not have survived.It is an argument that is very hard to dispute when you consider the enormity of the above contributions.
Although family, study and work took Neil away from the club for a time after this period, he was often seen spectating at Eltham games and he even took on a stint as Club President in the 1980's and as Treasurer more recently as well as "overseer" of the Thursday night after training preparations.
Neil will be sadly missed by those who knew him. Our thoughts go out to his wife Heather, son Kristian & daughter Kate as well as his wider family and close friends.
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Photograph - Neil and his panel of experts at the half time break of the 2006 State League Grand Final.
John Good
JOHN GOOD
John was Treasurer in 1974 when the Eltham Lacrosse Club won its first senior premiership in B Grade against Coburg. That side contained his son Michael who had been with Eltham since 1966. Michael also played in the Club's first ever premiership in the Under 16 E Reserve Grade in 1969 and went on to play some 97 games before retiring in 1976. Michael shared these two premierships with other oldies that are still seen around the Club, including Peter Jarvis, Alan Montague and Hugh Russell.
John continued to serve the club in an administrative role for many years following his son's departure. At various times, he worked as the club statistician, the records officer and organiser of social activities. He was President from 1975 to 1980 and he continued to support the club after he finished work on the Committee. He generously paid the costs of the Club's incorporation in 1984. His lovely wife Mary also provided welcome assistance as our Publicity Officer, and she was a regular contributor to the local paper with articles and photos of Club happenings and events for many years.
Born in England, John sailed the world with the P&O Line as a young man and met Mary during these travels. He came to Australia in 1949 and pursued a number of occupations over the years. My memories include him digging for opals in outback Australia, driving taxis for North Suburban, working in his own commercial cleaning company and captaining his vessel, the Saona, which catered for the tourist trade and operated in the Yarra from the City to Dights Falls. Many a good time was spent by Club members and supporters at John's Eltham residence and on board his boat during the late 1970's.
In later years, John and Mary spent their retirement at Eagle Point and Paynesville in the Gippsland Lakes and although he was unable to get back to the see the Panthers play very often, he continued to take an interest in how the club was performing. It was my pleasure to telephone John on the evening of the State League premiership, and he was delighted that Eltham had finally won the big one. He told me he would celebrate with a glass of his favourite Scotch! Sadly, he passed away at home two days later on 8/9/04.
His wife Mary, his two sons Michael and Richard, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter survive John.
He will be remembered for his charm, wise words, generosity and companionship. John loved the company of his many friends in the lacrosse community, and he will be sadly missed. Vale John, a gentleman and a much-loved patron of all at the Eltham Lacrosse Club.
Alan Black
Thursday September 9, 2004, The Age
GOOD, John Patrick. R.N.V.R., at home in Paynesville on 8th September, 2004. Beloved husband of Mary, much loved father of Richard, Michael and Felicity (dec). Beloved Grandpa of Avril and Jemima, Adrian, David and Hugh and Great Grandfather of Ellora.
Thursday September 9, 2004, The Age
GOOD. The Funeral of Mr JOHN PATRICK GOOD of Paynesville will be held at St Peter's by the Lake Anglican Church, Paynesville commencing at 11.30 am on TUESDAY, (14th September, 2004).
Private cremation.
H W BAGGS & SON PAYNESVILLE 5156 0088
