BARRY HARTSHORN

Your Name.....Barry Hartshorn

DOB.....09/02/1944

Place of Birth.....Brisbane

Where you first started playing Squash..... Enoggera Squash Club. Jack Marron introduced me to the sport around 1963. I played in B grade teams with Jack and Brian Hegarty for several years.

I am pleased to say that, after almost fifty years, I have been nominated and accepted as an honorary member of the Boomerang Squash Club.

Your Fondest Memory of the time.....The people, the friendly competition, the drinks after the game. Jack’s kitchen took on legendary status as a drinking venue that had no closing time.

Your best achievement on court, as most of us wouldn't have won Open Titles or represented the State, maybe list some of your Pennant wins or Club Titles.....

Peter Land says one of the teams I played in won an A1 premiership so it must be true. I played for Brisbane in the State Teams Championship one year and won a couple of club championships when the good players were on holiday. My most pleasing win was the inaugural University of Queensland Open Championship around 1973. My main purpose in playing squash was to sweat out the rum and cigars. I didn’t have the dedication or ability to be a top player.

Did you venture into administration or coaching or refereeing or managing teams or played Masters Squash.....

I served on the BDSRA for several years. Dave Wright appointed me player/manager of a disparate team that went overseas to open up the South East Asia circuit in 1975. The team consisted of Dave Wright, Barry Dunne, Peter Thomas, Ian Andrew and myself. When we left the Brisbane airport bar we were the Queensland team; by the time we flew into Kuala Lumpur we were the Australian team.

I wrote the squash column in the Sunday Sun newspaper for thirteen years from 1974 – 1987.

Who do you admire as the person who has either achieved great things on court or shaped the game off court.....

I admired Geoff Hunt and Heather McKay, on and off the court. They were great champions and a credit to the sport. I rate Heather only slightly behind Dawn Fraser as our greatest woman athlete. Mick Donnelly was a top player and is a top bloke. He was the first Queenslander to win an Australian men’s championship. Dave Wright was a guts player. I called him “the old warrior”, not only because of his fighting qualities but also because he was an outsider, a loner. Dave was never part of squash royalty and he had to overcome a lot of difficulties to become No.1 in Queensland.

Funniest moment you remember.....

On that squash tour in 1975. Peter Thomas went to a club in Singapore and felt sorry for an old Chinese bloke who told Peter he had nowhere to sleep that night. Peter took him back to our hotel. Ian Andrew woke up next morning to find a Chinese gentleman in his bed. I can still hear Ian’s scream.

What are you doing now. As a lot of us would be now retired, list some facts about your working life.....

I’m retired from full time work and live in Sydney. Most of my working life was spent in management roles in the food, mining and transport industries. I dabble in writing and try to keep fit through walking and other exercise.

Did you get married, have kids..... I am happily married to Irene and we have four children. They have all left home and two work overseas – our youngest son in Japan, our daughter in New York. Needless to say, Irene and I enjoy travel.

Anything else you think people might find interesting.....

Squash gave me many years of enjoyment and I met some memorable characters. I hope the players of today have similar experiences.