Our croquet club has members hailing from beyond the city limits. Bede Sheridan (Geurie), and Ian Burns (Collie) were two such members, and we miss them now they are no longer with us.

Bede Sheridan was a thorough gentleman, and a stand out example of the health and social benefits of croquet. When he started playing in 2018, an hour’s training and practice tested Bede's stamina and patience, but the intriguing challenges of the game had snared him.

Bede embraced croquet as a sport that he was able to participate in, and – importantly – enjoy. Having moved into town, Bede was at a loose end while tending an impressive rose garden at home, and croquet was an interest he could pursue with wife Margaret.

He developed an idiosyncratic technique that almost defied analysis, and misled many an unsuspecting opponent. Within months of starting, a morning’s play wasn’t enough and he would have happily played all day, every day.

Bede used croquet as an essential component of his recovery regime post-stroke, and achieved extraordinary results, returning to full functionality. He was also a valuable contributor to developing the club’s new site in Brisbane Street, and the ongoing maintenance thereafter.

We were better for his presence, and diminished by his passing.

Ian Burns, like Bede and many others, took up croquet in retirement following wife Sandra. After a break for treatment for skin cancer, Ian resumed his croquet post-treatment with alacrity and pleasure. He certainly showed those elements which indicated strong progress and a gradually lowering handicap.

Ian had the dedication and discipline to develop skills, and an analytical mindframe for the strategic aspects of croquet.

Quietly-spoken and modest, Ian enjoyed the social contact the club encouraged, and always attended formal meetings, contributing thoughtfully to debates.

Like Bede and many other retired farmers, Ian found maintenance and repair tasks around the club before anyone realised attention was needed, greatly appreciated by all members, including making and installing court number plates, and transferring and erecting the flag-pole.

Highly regarded in life, Ian's passing is deeply felt.

Their wives, Margaret and Sandra, continue as active and engaging players of our club.

Vale, Bede and Ian.