Scott Donaldson
Melva Hewitt was a relative latecomer to the sport of golf, joining the Queens Park club as a 58-year-old and has been an active member ever since.
‘‘I lost my husband in 1990 and we were always connected with cycling and away a lot with the boys and their cycling,’’
‘‘Once that finished I had a friend and we just joined this club.’’
The 83-year-old spends plenty of time helping out often behind the scenes, but her work was recognised at the Golf Southland awards recently, where she received recognition for services to golf.
‘‘Winning the award meant everything really,’’ she said.
‘‘Golf has filled up a big gap in my life.’’
‘‘Queens Park’s a lovely club and I enjoy every minute I am down there.’’
Hewitt was on the committee from 1995 until 2010 and is a former vice president, deputy club captain and club captain, while these days she spends plenty of time maintaining the gardens and is still an assistant handicapper, despite no longer serving on the committee.
‘‘Well I have just been down there and done two and a half hours in the garden,’’ she said.
‘‘But apart from that I am the assistant handicapper, I have to do the changes in handicap.’’
‘‘It gets done every fortnight, but I don’t have to do it that often.’’
Golf is a family passion for Hewitt, who often plays mixed foursomes with her grandson Liam.
‘‘All of the family plays, I have a son and daughter-in-law who play in Arrowtown, two sons and my grandson play down here,’’ she said.
The Octogenerian still tees off twice a week with a 36-handicap and enjoys the social comradery of the club.
‘‘I have been down lower than that, but as you get older you just don’t play the same,’’ she said.
‘‘I play on Tuesdays and Thursdays which are our club days.’’
‘‘We always go upstairs afterwards for cups of teas and everyone always enjoys that.’’
She admits that she was better in her younger days, playing off a 22 handicap and regularly shooting under 100, entering tournaments and even scoring two hole-in-ones on the par three 17th hole.
‘‘It is probably hole,’’ she said.
‘‘It was a three wood or something like that, I don’t hit it far anyway.’’
Things have changed at the club over the last quarter of a century.
‘‘There are a lot more compe-
the
smallest titions and national things on now than what there was before,’’ she said.
‘‘It is very hard to get junior players these days.’’
The Queens Park member doesn’t think she will join the elite group of golfers to shoot their age.
‘‘I have heard of other people doing it,’’ she said.
‘‘I would love it, but it hasn’t happened to me.’’
According to Queens Park ladies’ secretary Elizabeth Joyce, Hewitt has several strings to her bow.
‘‘Although she is quiet and shy, and doesn’t like speaking to a crowd, she is happy to run the ladies’ masters golf once a month and enjoys doing the work,’’ Suddaby said.
Hewitt has many talents including that she is an excellent calligraphy writer.
‘‘Whenever we have a tournament she is there writing up the draw on the board in her perfect writing,’’ Joyce said.
‘‘At the Stead Cup she can be found quietly waiting for the results of each day so they can be written on the board so the writing is consistent.’’
Another of her talents is baking, which she generously donates.
‘‘Everyone waits for our special raffle on closing day, she makes beautifully iced Christmas cake,’’ Joyce said.
‘‘She can frequently be seen dropping off hot scones to the greenkeepers for their morning tea.’’