Nigel Lewis, a stalwart of the Kangaroo Valley Tennis Club, died peacefully in the early hours of Saturday 10 September.
We all remember Nigel for his absolute love of tennis. It was important to him that everybody else should love it too, which meant that Nigel became an important part of tennis in Kangaroo Valley.
Awarded Life Membership of the Club in September 2010, Nigel was declared one of our inaugural ‘Golden Oldies’ at his 80th birthday in April 2017.
Nigel was our Club President for about 12 years, up to 2009, when he passed the baton to Bruce Rodway. After resigning as President, Nigel remained active on the committee and was instrumental in launching Seniors Tennis in the Spring of 2016.
Nigel was a wonderful conversationalist and, that rare thing, a good listener too. He could even turn one’s passing comment into a meaningful exchange and was a delight to have a coffee with.
No story about Nigel would be complete without mention of his outback camping trips in the Land Cruiser. He would return with entertaining anecdotes about the places he visited.
Nigel helping his wife Dorothy fold the beach tent
As one of the early supporters of the Kangaroo Valley Remexio Partnership in 2000, Nigel donated his beloved Land Cruiser (thereafter also known as Nigel) and a trailer load of goods to be sent to Remexio, our sister village in Timor Leste.
Nigel & Trailer
Nigel had a keen sense of humour and was always willing to help friends with their theatrical projects. When the Timor group needed someone to impersonate David Stratton (opposite Diana Jaffray as Margaret Pomeranz) in a fundraising parody of ‘At the Movies’, Nigel was a natural and threw himself into the part.
Nigel as David Stratton
And when the Environment Group fundraiser performed The Pheasant Pluckers’ Song in 2001, Nigel performed without a slip.
The Pheasant Pluckers’ Song
Thank you Nigel, for being part of our lives. You will be sorely missed.
Peter Stanton
