JUST BEN
Ben
McCorkindale was an unstintingly generous benefactor of the St Clair
Golf Club. He joined in November 1958, was elected to committee in
1967, vice president 1971-74 and president 1975-76.
His special
interest was the junior club and he served as manager of Otago
junior teams longer than I can remember. He donated the trophy for
Otago v Southland matches (to go with the Piper Cup - presented by
his friend Frank Piper, also a St Clair member).
He was also a
great supporter of the Otago Charity Classic from the beginning in
1970.
Ben had a
stool by the bar in the 19th, in what is called "Ben's Corner" where
he monitored the behavior of new members and kept a weather eye on
the older ones. The carpet in the clubhouse (and the pool table) is
a lasting tribute to the contributions he made.
One for which
he was famous was his annual impersonation of Santa Claus when he
dressed up and gave out presents (all paid for out of his own
pocket) to members and their wives at the Christmas Social
Alas, although
a life member of both the OPGA and the Eagles, he passed away before
he could be rightly honored by the St Clair Club.
I would say,
without fear of exaggeration, that he was the backbone of the club
for more than 20 years. He was a keen, rather than accomplished,
golfer and could be relied on to set the standard for dress and
decorum in the clubhouse. He truly was one of Nature's Gentlemen.
Listen to the music of
Paul
Cantelon while reading this page. Top
