Reunion honours Ray Mason

A simple old-world eulogy in honour of Ray Mason was delivered by a playing partner of the 1950s at a recent South Sydney rugby league reunion.

"The type of person all young footballers should model themselves on."

It reflected the warm regard in which he was held by the countless numbers of people who had passed his way and admired his deeds on the playing fields and his selfless contribution to the game.

Now a Umina resident, Ray Mason looked back on those heady times of half a century ago with fondness and quiet satisfaction.

He mixed with the elite of the game and was an essential member of a rugby league team which dominated with legendary names such as Clive Churchill, Johnny Graves, Jack Rayner, Len Cowie, Bernie Purcell and Harry Wells providing such a sturdy platform.

As the Rabbitohs' half-back, he was the scheming scrumbase architect of numerous South Sydney triumphs and many admirers claimed that his surprising omissions from representative teams was largely due to his preferred playing role as a team link rather than in an individual capacity.

He was a member of three victorious first grade premiership sides in 1951, 1953, and 1954 and coached the third grade team from 1958 to 1965, achieving premiership honours in 1963.

He was elected a life member of the football club in 1965, served on its committee for 20 years and was a director of the Leagues Club for seven years.

In 1986, Ray followed the example set by his son and daughter and moved to the Central Coast.

"We used to drive up from Sydney and visit the children and grandchildren so often, and enjoyed the area so much, that we felt we might as well settle here, too," he explained.

As a golfer, he had been a member at the St Michael's and Botany clubs in Sydney and it was a natural progression, to him, to join the Everglades Country Club with its rich offerings of golf, bowls and social amenities.

It wasn't long before he fell under the lawn bowls spell and diverted his sporting energies to that field.

In the lawn bowls arena, where long accurate passes and bone-crunching tackles are not the accepted requirements for participants, he adapted most successfully to a game in which touch and finesse are vital ingredients.

At Everglades, among other successes, he has won the Triples and Fours Championships, each on four occasions, the Minor Singles, and the Mixed Pairs and Fours.

He has been a board member for 14 years, bowls secretary for 12 years and is currently a vice-president.

Three years ago, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to sport and, in particular, bowls.

His philosophy, which focuses on winning or losing with grace, a sense of responsibility to his teammates and sheer enjoyment of the game, whether it is rugby league or bowls, is about as close as you can get to pin-pointing the essence of sport at its finest.

Allan Wilson, May 26