The faces of everyone present at Greenacres Golf Club in Richmond last Thursday showed only happiness and pride.
Tony Naylor, Greenacres and Special Olympics coordinator, was honoured with the Bill Wooster Memorial Trophy.
He was the first to be granted the prize, which is to be awarded every year to a person who epitomises community, fairness, friendship, participation, spirit, and above all else, fun.
“Tony has worked tirelessly with Special Olympics athletes, especially those who see golf as an opportunity to get more involved in sport,” says the Club Manager, Stuart Anderson.
“Those Special Olympics athletes (photo) come here every week to play golf, and they are all good guys. They’ve all got limitations in life because they have special intellectual disabilities, but we’ve all got limitations, just different ones,” says Tony.
“The good thing about the guys is that they listen, they learn, and they practise and practise for competitions, and I feel very honoured.”
The trophy was personally handed to Tony by Raewynne Harford, who is Bill’s daughter.
“This prize is for somebody who works in the background, who is not the best player but is involved in all aspects of the club. It’s about the sociability, friendships and the spirit of the game”, she says.
According to Stuart, the work done by Tony with the Special Olympics athletes is much more than learning new skills.
“Some are very serious golfers, but they are also having fun, something Bill Wooster would be very proud of,” he says.