It is with great sadness that I am letting you know that our good friend and valued club member, Arthur Durham, passed away in the early hours of Monday, 18 August, after a long illness.
Those who knew Arthur were aware that he wasn’t in good health, but it is still very sad to hear of his passing. Arthur was a good friend to many club members for over twenty years. Below is a summary of Arthur's involvement in our club, which was presented as part of his Life Membership Award in 2012:
"First introduced to orienteering in around 1976/7 by Frank Assenza, Arthur initially joined Bennelong Occasional Orienteers as it was known back then, due to Frank’s affiliation with this club. However in the late eighties / early nineties Arthur joined Uringa and has been a valued and active club member ever since.
If event volunteers were needed, Arthur always made himself available. He was asked consistently to help out with Enter on the Day, registration and taking money because we knew the money would be accurate and his friendly manner would always inspire newcomers.He also held the office of Treasurer for nearly a decade, retiring in 2010 - he truly did a sterling job.
Many people who are here tonight, whose children are now adults, will remember fondly the kindness Arthur showed towards their children, and the many times he watched over them while the parents were out running. He has also been known to shadow many of the children on their courses throughout the year even on their first night events!
Arthur himself competed regularly, even in Europe in the 70s, 80s and 90s, until he experienced ill health.
Over the last few years, his health has unfortunately limited his participation in the club activities, and last year (2011) he made the decision to move to the Central Coast to be closer to family and friends.”
(Arthur passed away in Melbourne, where he had lived close to his twin brother for the last 15 months).
Arthur will be remembered fondly by all those who were lucky enough to have him touch their lives. Our condolences go to Arthur's family.
**The funeral has been arranged for Friday, 22 August in Melbourne. The family will be organising a memorial service in Sydney in September. Further details will be available on this blog as soon as I know more.**
Uringa is sending a card to Arthur's family; however if anyone else wishes to send a separate message, please contact me (linda.sesta@bigpond.com) to get the postal address. (I didn't want to post the family's address on this public forum).
2 comments:
I remember Arthur with immense fondness, friendship and mirth. In the mid 90's he and I often travelled to events together, along with Dave Lotty and Graeme Galbraith. We all bunked together (despite his enormous capacity for snoring) for days, and sometimes whole weeks, and we always had a great time. Arthur and I even did a few Roagaines together. He was always joshing about with that cheeky grin and glint in his eyes, teasing the kids, and could ALWAYS be relied upon for just about anything. A real one-of-a-kind gentleman. I am very saddened to hear of his passing, and more so that I did not know that he had been living here on the Central Coast - I would have loved to have seen him again. Vale Athur. Sending you big hugs in Heaven.
Sueberry - Uringa 1990's
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Arthur. When I started orienteering in the late 80's Arthur would be out on track usually playing tortoise to my hare and pointing out the error of my ways, always with great humour. Orienteering is the poorer without him. My condolences to family and friends.
Ian Christopher (WHO)
Hua Hin, Thailand.
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