RAY ALLAN

Your Name.....Ray Allan

DOB.....27/11/1942

Place of Birth.....Melbourne Vic

Where you first started playing Squash.....Darwin for Nomads Squash Club long since gone.

Your Fondest Memory of the time.....Coming from Darwin and knowing nobody found the Boomerang Squash Club and Joe Williams. Found it easy to make friends around the game of squash.

Love the competitive nature of the game. Have met some great people and have made long lasting friendships. My first trophy (always a special event) was in Darwin my first year and it was E grade. My involvement with Masters is a very enjoyable experience. In Queensland we have tournaments approx. every three weeks, they are always a great weekend away, my latest achievement was coming home from the "World Masters" with a trophy the World Masters were held in Christchurch I lost my first match and went on to win the next four matches.

We do hope to be going to Cologne next year in September where we will renew friendships made in Christchurch.

I have played in many centres, and for a while every centre I started at they closed down (not my fault) so many centres have closed around Brisbane it is getting to be a worry. I have played Nomads Darwin and in Brisbane Boomerang, Holland Park, Sunnybank, QE11, Garden City, Rochedale, Alpine and Daisy Hill. Of all the above only Holland Park and Daisy Hill are still operating.I play fixtures twice a week and have not missed a season since starting in 1964. Just love the game.

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

Estelle and I started Masters Squash in Queensland. It was a lot of work getting it off the ground as well as having three young children. Masters is now thriving in Queensland and there is a great President and committee, they do a great job. We have no involvement now just enjoy being a member and we both enjoy the weekends away at tournaments. There are now over 250 members in Queensland.

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

There are so many. Two people who come to mind are the late Aub Amos, I had quite a lot of coaching with Aub when I was years younger he was a hard master but I do feel I learned a lot from him. I have always had a great deal of respect for Heather McKay being a brilliant player as well as a very nice down to earth person.

Funniest moment you remember.....

None comes to mind at the moment but every night at squash is a fun night as far as I'm concerned.

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

Still an electrician, my wife would like me to retire but I enjoy my work so much and will keep going for a while yet although I am retirement age.

Did you get married, have kids..... Yes married to Estelle for 33 years. We have three great grown up children all doing very well for themselves and we have two grandchildren hoping for more. The eldest daughter is living in Texas U.S.A. and we miss the grandchildren very much.

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

I still play fixtures twice a week and keep fit although the older I get the more complaints I get, sore knees sore muscles sore arm etc. Joys of being Mature age. Estelle and I really enjoy the Australian Masters, last year in Darwin and this year will be in Melbourne. In Darwin I went through unbeaten in the over 65 division two. My team was not so lucky. This year will be my 20th year of Australian Masters and I will receive my 20 year badge in Melbourne in September. Missed a few Australian Masters when the children were small. I have had so many trophy's over the years and Estelle calls them dust collectors so we boxed them up for some kids club that were short of funds and they were able to reuse them.