Our Squash Southland Patron, Michael Fenton sadly passed away last month. The following obituary has been compiled from those involved in the squash community around NZ who knew him well. RIP Michael.
OBITUARY: Michael Fenton
Former New Zealand Squash Rackets Association president Michael Fenton played a pivotal role as the sport entered its boom phase in the late 1970s.
Fenton, an accountant who died in Invercargill last month (August), aged 85, was president for a three-year term, which ended in 1979. It was a time when the sport in NZ was grappling with the advance of professionalism; Bruce Brownlee, who won the 1976 British Amateur championship, had just turned pro and the sport was booming; Jenny Webster was the champion woman player, Ross Norman and Robyn Blackwood were starting to make an impact at national level, and a Rotorua youngster called Susan Devoy was playing in age-group tournaments.
Fenton sought to give squash players a more professional administration and was pleased in the last year of his three-year presidency to approve the appointment of the sport’s first full-time executive officer, in Bill Murphy.
“Mike was a genuine squash club man. He knew how clubs operated and this knowledge and his accountancy skills meant he was able to have a big input at national level,” recalls Murphy.
“He was a very competent guy and a real character. He was always impeccably dressed, and good company to be with.’’
Fenton, a Southland swimming rep in his youth, took up squash as an adult, encouraged by a colleague at Webb Stark accountants in Invercargill, John Gillies, a former British amateur squash championship finalist, who went on to win three national titles in NZ.
They were members of the Invercargill Squash Rackets Club, which later amalgamated with the Blues and Old Boys clubs to become Squash City. Fenton was a long-time committee member of the Invercargill club, eventually serving as president and helped set up the Southern Districts association, before getting involved at national level.
He served on the NZ association for most of the 1970s, with two terms as vice-president before becoming president.
He was also NZ’s rep on the International Squash Rackets Federation and Neven Barbour, a long-time member of the NZ team and a national men’s champion, marveled at the number of times he would appear at overseas venues to support the players.“ Even when we were playing for New Zealand overseas he would often turn up to cheer us on, having travelled under his own steam.’’
Fenton and Barbour were both involved in one of the sport’s big developments of the era, the purchase of the John Reid Squash Centre in Kelburn, Wellington, by the national association. The complex had been set up by Reid, the former New Zealand cricket captain, in 1963 and was proving hugely popular with its five courts, restaurant, bar and shop.
Fenton, Barbour, Mike Sumpter, Keith Green and Don Massam were involved in negotiating the purchase with a member of Reid’s consortium in Wellington, but when the time came for Fenton to catch his flight to Invercargill, the deal was off - the consortium was asking for too much, Barbour said.
However, it became clear over the next few hours that the consortium did want to sell and negotiations continued over a meal and a few red wines into the evening.
“In the end we rang Mike late at night and while he was quite surprised at the developments, he listened to the details of the sale and purchase agreement we had negotiated, rang off and considered it for a while before ringing back with his approval,” Barbour said.
The new owners added four new courts and the new enterprise did well, but things have changed in more recent times and ironically, in 2020 Barbour and Dame Susan Devoy are members of a working committee trying to keep the centre open, after Squash NZ said it would close the complex following local council demands that the buildings needed upgraded.
Jan McAra, a life member of Southland Squash, always found Fenton approachable, saying he was a champion administrator and supporter of the sport.“Michael had such great mana in the squash community, and always his advice was spot on.
“He was a man of charm, grace and integrity.’’
Fenton was a bachelor into his mid-50s when he fell in love and married Rosemary Ward. Tragically the union was only for eight years as Rosemary died of cancer, but her five daughters had embraced him and always included him in family activities.
He had kept up a range of community activities in Southland until he suffered a stroke last year.
Photo credit: Jordan Siobhan / Nostalgic Photography
OBITUARY: Michael Fenton
Former New Zealand Squash Rackets Association president Michael Fenton played a pivotal role as the sport entered its boom phase in the late 1970s.
Fenton, an accountant who died in Invercargill last month (August), aged 85, was president for a three-year term, which ended in 1979. It was a time when the sport in NZ was grappling with the advance of professionalism; Bruce Brownlee, who won the 1976 British Amateur championship, had just turned pro and the sport was booming; Jenny Webster was the champion woman player, Ross Norman and Robyn Blackwood were starting to make an impact at national level, and a Rotorua youngster called Susan Devoy was playing in age-group tournaments.
Fenton sought to give squash players a more professional administration and was pleased in the last year of his three-year presidency to approve the appointment of the sport’s first full-time executive officer, in Bill Murphy.
“Mike was a genuine squash club man. He knew how clubs operated and this knowledge and his accountancy skills meant he was able to have a big input at national level,” recalls Murphy.
“He was a very competent guy and a real character. He was always impeccably dressed, and good company to be with.’’
Fenton, a Southland swimming rep in his youth, took up squash as an adult, encouraged by a colleague at Webb Stark accountants in Invercargill, John Gillies, a former British amateur squash championship finalist, who went on to win three national titles in NZ.
They were members of the Invercargill Squash Rackets Club, which later amalgamated with the Blues and Old Boys clubs to become Squash City. Fenton was a long-time committee member of the Invercargill club, eventually serving as president and helped set up the Southern Districts association, before getting involved at national level.
He served on the NZ association for most of the 1970s, with two terms as vice-president before becoming president.
He was also NZ’s rep on the International Squash Rackets Federation and Neven Barbour, a long-time member of the NZ team and a national men’s champion, marveled at the number of times he would appear at overseas venues to support the players.“ Even when we were playing for New Zealand overseas he would often turn up to cheer us on, having travelled under his own steam.’’
Fenton and Barbour were both involved in one of the sport’s big developments of the era, the purchase of the John Reid Squash Centre in Kelburn, Wellington, by the national association. The complex had been set up by Reid, the former New Zealand cricket captain, in 1963 and was proving hugely popular with its five courts, restaurant, bar and shop.
Fenton, Barbour, Mike Sumpter, Keith Green and Don Massam were involved in negotiating the purchase with a member of Reid’s consortium in Wellington, but when the time came for Fenton to catch his flight to Invercargill, the deal was off - the consortium was asking for too much, Barbour said.
However, it became clear over the next few hours that the consortium did want to sell and negotiations continued over a meal and a few red wines into the evening.
“In the end we rang Mike late at night and while he was quite surprised at the developments, he listened to the details of the sale and purchase agreement we had negotiated, rang off and considered it for a while before ringing back with his approval,” Barbour said.
The new owners added four new courts and the new enterprise did well, but things have changed in more recent times and ironically, in 2020 Barbour and Dame Susan Devoy are members of a working committee trying to keep the centre open, after Squash NZ said it would close the complex following local council demands that the buildings needed upgraded.
Jan McAra, a life member of Southland Squash, always found Fenton approachable, saying he was a champion administrator and supporter of the sport.“Michael had such great mana in the squash community, and always his advice was spot on.
“He was a man of charm, grace and integrity.’’
Fenton was a bachelor into his mid-50s when he fell in love and married Rosemary Ward. Tragically the union was only for eight years as Rosemary died of cancer, but her five daughters had embraced him and always included him in family activities.
He had kept up a range of community activities in Southland until he suffered a stroke last year.
Photo credit: Jordan Siobhan / Nostalgic Photography
| michael_fenton__002_.jpg |
Squash Southland's AGM was held on February 15 at Stadium Southland Legends Lounge 1.
The reports presented at the meeting are attached below.
The reports presented at the meeting are attached below.
| annual_report.pdf |
| financial_report.pdf |