HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY COLIN MOYSEY!

Congratulations to one of our most popular and long serving members, Colin Moysey, on turning 80 this Wednesday 13 August.

Colin joined the Leighton Club in 1962 and gained his Bronze Medallion (number 999!) on 13 October 1962.  He was a member of the 1964 Junior Boat Crew consisting of Peter Thornett (sweep), Kevin Nettleton (stroke), David Leaman (2nd stroke), Ralph Hoger (2nd bow) and Colin Moysey (bow) – the crew went undefeated through the season to claim the State Championship in 1964.

Colin was given 2 years Leave of Absence from the surf club when he was conscripted in 1966, but rather than serving in Vietnam, he was sent to the Malaya Emergency.  It has been a long standing bone of contention for Colin that because he went to Malaya and not Vietnam, he did not qualify for many of the Veteran’s benefits that attach to “war service”, even though Malaya was hardly a walk in the park.

In 1970, Colin was a member of the State Team as part of the Open Boat Crew with Larry Tilbury (LM), Bill Freeman (LM), Colin Duffield (LM) and Allan Meheux.  In 1975, he was an Australian Finalist in the Open Surf Boat at Dee Why, the first ever crew from our Club to make an A crew final.  The crew was Peter Hawkins (Sweep), Colin Duffield (stroke), Kevin Nettleton (2nd stroke), Colin Moysey and Terry Sayers (bow).  If only someone hadn’t popped an oar at the start, who knows where they would have come?

Colin continued to row boats over the years and also tried his hand at ski paddling.  He has been a long time fixture at the surf club gym and these days still regularly attends the gym as well as paddling his ski in the mornings.  Colin was also a Patrol Captain and a long time Treasurer of the Surf Club.  He was made a Life Member in 2003.  He is a frequent tourist, recently returning from Europe to see his sister, as well as a regular attendee at the Australian Championships.