Linda Downey was awarded life membership of the Revesby Workers’ Club at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday 27 October 2019. 

The Downey family has long been associated with Revesby Workers’ Club, dating back to when Bob Downey joined the club in 1966 and his wife Marguerite (Peggy) in 1970. It was inevitable that the family lineage would progress down through the generations, firstly with their daughter Linda and her daughter Jemma, who played netball for the clubin her youth and worked part time at the club while she completed her university studies, would follow.

For Linda, who joined the club in 1981, it was a big jump and one that is celebrated this year (2019) as she accepts her well-earned life membership of the club. Linda embarked on a career as a teacher, beginning at Sir Joseph Banks High School and from 2009 at East Hills Girls Technology High School.

While continuing her teaching career, Linda became restless, realising there was more to life and, in 2008, was elected to the Bankstown Council, representing the south ward, where she remained until 2015. In the 1990s, Linda had played a leading role in opposition to a second Sydney Airport at Holsworthy. Later, she led the local opposition to the major expansion of the Bankstown airport.

Mayor of Bankstown in 2014 for one year [from September 2014 to September 2015], Linda officially opened the Revesby Village Centre on Saturday 9 May 2015. With Canterbury and Bankstown Councils merging as one to Canterbury Bankstown Council, on 12 May 2016, Lindawas elected to the new council in 2017, representing the Revesby ward. The combined Bankstown-Canterbury Council became the largest Councilin NSW, by population, with more than 361,000 residents.

Linda was an active member of the Revesby Workers’ Club’s scholarships committee for the past 20 years and contributed to the selection criteria for the awards as well as participating in the annual selection process. She has strongly lobbied for further scholarships for trades training and for club staff.

Linda was an inaugural and continuing member of the committee of The Light on the Hill Society – the club-sponsored society which organises presentations by keynote speakers on economic, social and political topics, especially those relevant to south west Sydney.

Linda and her family have remained in close contact with the area they know best, around Panania and Picnic Point – for Linda, as a councillor and subsequently a mayor, and as a highly valued educator in the area, she has also enjoyed her hands-on role as a member of the Revesby Workers’ Club.

As a teacher at East Hills Girls High School, Linda has encouraged and successfully facilitated work-place training for students with the club. Partly arising from her representations, a pilot program to provide enhanced work placement opportunities for Year 11 and 12 students studying VETiS (Vocational Education and Training in Schools) was held.  Girls undertook hospitality courses under Revesby Workers’ Club staff’s supervision, a special three course meal for 25 guests in Bel Cibo, on 8 May 2018, for example. This pilot was so successful the program is being taken up state-wide.

Linda was awarded life membership of the Australian Labor Party in 2017;She is married to former long-serving Member of Parliament for East Hills,  Alan Ashton, and they have two daughters.

Ray Hopkins, Past President, Life Member, Club Champion and champion bloke passed away suddenly and tragically on 3 June 2019. After playing bowls on Sunday he took ill and was conveyed by ambulance to hospital on Monday morning, had a massive heart attack on the operating table and couldn’t be revived. His sudden passing has given us all a great shock. Ray has been part and parcel of our bowling club for much longer than most of us have been members.

Ray has held just about every position on the bowls committee and was always a popular choice with members, he had a great skill in getting things done. He never gave orders, he never asked anyone to do this or that, the guys just seemed to know what he wanted done and went ahead with it. He loved to be with his mates, playing bowls, visiting different clubs, enjoying life to the full. He was a good all-round sportsman and played many sports but liked tennis and bowls the most and was a champion in both.

At the Fibro whenever a new member joined, Ray would take him under his care and partner him in some championship event, say the pairs championship and probably win it with him. He would do it just once then move on to another newcomer for the next time. They loved him for that. Col Heaslip, Ian Stromborg, Merv Elder, Denis Gallant, Ernie Wilson to name a few who were recipients of this kind gesture. Ray made friends easily he had friends everywhere and each of us believed we were his “special friend” and he was special to us. He treated everyone as special.

Rays funeral was held on the 14 June and was attended by a huge crowd of his family and friends. Best family friend and confidant Helen spoke of the good times she and her family spent with Ray and Dot, it must have been hard for her she held up well, but the tears came and why not? Ray was fortunate to have a friend like Helen. Geoff spoke for our bowlers, he’s not so tough, he shed too.

Hankies were out, it looked like sails on the harbour on a lazy Sunday. No shame in shedding tears for such a loss. A cheeky Ray might say “don’t cry for me, friends, just enjoy life cause you don’t know what’s around the b—-y corner.”

The tears of grief slowly turned to smiles in the Revesby Workers’ Whitlam Theatre as the “wake” got going and the happy memories and tales of the good times with Ray started to ease the shock of his sudden passing.

“Everybody loves Raymond”, three words that were never so true as today at this service. For those of us who believe, it would be nice to think of Ray and his charming wife Dot are together now on that great bowling green that we dream about, they were the perfect couple.

On behalf of the Bowls Club President Denis and our members our deepest condolences to Ray’s family and friends. It’s hard to believe that we won’t see Ray again, he will leave a big gap that may never be filled.

Rest in peace dear friend.

The Workers’ Giving Tree this year was a huge success with over 1000 gifts collected to donate to children less fortunate than ourselves.
Over at Health Mates Fitness Centre, the Christmas food drive helped deliver non-perishable items to families in need, so they were able to celebrate Christmas. A wonderful culmination of food and gifts showing the wonderful generosity of our members and the community at large. From the bottom of our hearts we thank all those that contributed to such a successful campaign.

(Images. Above: Revesby Workers’ Club CEO Edward Camilleri, Salvation Army Major Sandy Hogg and Revesby Workers’ Club Member Gail Wright who generously donated gifts to the Workers’ Giving Tree. Below: The hundreds of food items generously donated to the Health Mates Food Drive.)