{"id":3065,"date":"2024-09-08T15:21:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T14:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.essextabletennis.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2024-09-08T15:25:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T14:25:21","slug":"shirley-rowlen-an-appreciation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.essextabletennis.org.uk\/wordpress\/2024\/09\/08\/shirley-rowlen-an-appreciation\/","title":{"rendered":"Shirley Rowlen: an appreciation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Clacton League is sad to announce the death of Shirley Rowlen. Shirley had been League President since 2017 and her passing ends an association of nearly fifty years with local table tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley will be best remembered for her role as League Secretary, a position she held for almost 26 continuous years from 1976 to 2002. But even in that one year (1980) she wasn\u2019t League Secretary, she took on the position of League Treasurer. To compound the work-load, in the 1970s the League Secretary also took on responsibility of Minutes Secretary and Tournament Officer. And, as if this wasn\u2019t enough, for many years Shirley was also the League\u2019s County Representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this time, Shirley did much of the behind-the-scenes work as Secretary, chivvying up clubs and players at the start of the season, getting advertisers for the Handbook and, later, getting sponsorship for the League (Avents for two years and McDonalds for one), all this at a time when the League had five Divisions and over fifty teams.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when the post of Tournament Officer was created in 1980, Shirley was always closely involved in the administration of the League\u2019s tournaments, especially the Closed Championships, often spending a lot of time \u2018ringing around\u2019, urging people to enter. At the tournaments, Shirley took on the role as \u2018the lady with the mike\u2019 – which occasionally caused amusement to her colleagues on the top table when she had difficulty pronouncing unusual names!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1989 and 1990, when the National Top Twelve Tournaments were held at Clacton Leisure Centre, Shirley was involved in the organisation and was a steward at both events, while she was also part of the Essex County Sub-Committee which arranged the European Qualifying Competition in Brentwood in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley also headed the League\u2019s Social Committee. She spear-headed the two major events which celebrated the League 50th and 60th Anniversaries (in 1988 and 1998), as well as organising other fund-raising events. These included an annual Quiz Evening, with Shirley and husband Brian setting the questions and taking turns each year as quiz-master\/mistress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then of course there were the regular Management Committee meetings, almost always held at Brian and Shirley\u2019s house, some of which went on until quite late at night. But everyone was always given a warm welcome, with cups of tea and biscuits supplied at appropriate intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley relinquished the post of League Secretary in 2002 but she was not yet done with table tennis and, after a short break, returned to the Management Committee in 2005 as the League\u2019s first Welfare Officer. In 2007 she took on the position of Minutes Secretary, a post she held until she retired from League duties in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Shirley was best known for her role as an administrator, she also played League table tennis for one season (1975\/76) for Brotherhood F in Division Four, the records showing she won three times in 21 matches. Her playing prowess was later displayed in end-of-season \u2018Management Committee tournaments\u2019 in the late 1990s. These were purely fun events but Shirley\u2019s forehand hits and movement around the table were far from shabby and, with a bit of practice, it was surmised she might have become a decent lower Division player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one of the drawbacks which was discovered during these evenings was that Shirley had great difficulty umpiring. This was before the use of scoreboards, and Shirley was constantly seen counting on her fingers and holding them up to remind herself of the score!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley\u2019s valued services to the League were recognised when she was awarded the League\u2019s Bob Phillips Trophy in 1988. She was made a Vice-President in 2002, eventually assuming the role of President in 2017. Her services to table tennis were more widely recognised when she was awarded the Corti Woodcock Trophy in 1998 by the Essex County Table Tennis Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Management Committee member, Shirley was forthright and honest in her views, and always ready to speak her mind. However, there was one notable exception. During the League\u2019s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1988, when Shirley was presented with the Bob Phillips Trophy, the  press report stated – \u201cThe award came as a complete surprise to Shirley and left her completely speechless \u2013 yet another \u2018first\u2019 in the League\u2019s fifty-year history!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, it is difficult to underestimate Shirley\u2019s contribution to local table tennis during her period as League Secretary. Both she and Brian, as League Chairman, put in a tremendous amount of effort and were, without doubt, lynch-pins of the League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while she was a great support to Brian in the work he did, Shirley was a formidable force in her own right. Their joint contribution to League table tennis was further acknowledged in 1998 at the League\u2019s Diamond Jubilee celebrations when they were presented with an inscribed cut-glass bowl as a token of the League\u2019s appreciation of their long and dedicated service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley\u2019s last public engagement was earlier this year when she attended the finals of the League\u2019s 2024 Closed Championships, and it was a joy to see her there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A loyal and steadfast servant of the League, and a lady with a lovely sense of fun. We\u2019ll miss you, Shirley, and we send our sincere condolences to Donna and Paul, and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley\u2019s funeral service takes place on Tuesday 1st October at 11.45 am at Weeley Crematorium. Bright colours requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n