VALE CLAUDE PLAIN

Sadly Claude has passed away. He was an ex- member, but those who knew him, and remember him, do so fondly.

Peter Caldwell found this message on “VFA Footy The Halcyon Days”  in Facebook.

These insights below to his character and time at Doncaster are from conversations and emails with Ken Morris, Laurie Hogan, Peter Caldwell, Jim Hampton, and Ian Golding, plus my own memories of him as my skip.

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Here is Ian’s email thanks to our great record keeping.

Peter Caldwell first knew him from the Bulleen Post Office where Peter was the Area Manager and Claude was a Postman. This was in the late 1980’s , the days of the push bike Postie. It was Claude’s work ethic that really impressed Peter. Later at the bowling club he was competitive but encouraging to the rookie Peter, telling him to relax when teaching him how to roll the jack. He was magnanimous in defeat even though he loved to win.

Ken said that he was a terrific guy and that he had to win and would not give up.

Claude loved the tournament days at Donvale, Montmorency and  sometimes Greythorn where all the games were on the synthetic greens. He would take Ken, Laurie and Peter. Laurie remembers that when it was Claude’s turn to drive they discovered that he had a manual car. Because of the way he went through the gears they nicknamed him “ Fangio” after the Argentine formula 1 racing car driver.

Jim Hampton also wrote: here is his email which really does capture Claude’s personality.

He was my skip for a season. He could be serious and amusing. Serious when teaching me to roll the jack. He would stand with his feet in a V shape and that spot was where I was expected to finish. Amusing, once when the jack went past his chosen place, he walked back off the green, onto the edge, climbed onto the seat and put his arms straight above his head. I got the message!

Claude moved to his daughter’s home in Ringwood and those in the Club lost contact…..Lyn Goodman.

FAREWELL CLAUDE.