TABLE TENNIS VOLUNTEERS SERVING NSW RECOGNIZED

Table Tennis Australia (TTA) announced the recipients of the 2021 TTA Volunteer Awards Program on 10 December 2021, and the awards recognise the remarkable achievements of table tennis volunteers making a significant and genuine contribution to the sport.

Five volunteers who made a significant and genuine contribution to New South Wales table tennis are recognized: Joy and Tom Boyd OAMs, Theo Morsink, Stephen Gillespie and Samuel Miller.

TTA CEO Scott Houston said “Volunteers are the lifeblood of table tennis. Put simply our great sport would not function without passionate volunteers giving their time. We know that volunteers don’t give their time to receive public recognition, but TTA believes it’s important to thank those who contribute so much."

Joy and Tom Boyd OAMs from Kiama Table Tennis Club received the 50 Years of Service to Table Tennis Award.

Joy won three Women’s Singles titles in the period 1971 to 1974 but it is her Doubles record which is astonishing. Joy won 19 Doubles titles from 1964 to 1980; 10 Women’s Doubles titles and 9 Mixed Doubles titles. Nobody else comes close to matching her record.

Joy has played table tennis for 63 years and was the Secretary and Treasurer of NSW Table Tennis Association and the coaching coordinator. Tom started playing table tennis at the age of 16, when he first began working. Tom has been playing over 70 years. Together they helped establish a Veterans Australian Table Tennis Championship which first took place in Hobart in 1984. Joy has won numerous titles as an able bodied and Para athlete including a Commonwealth Games bronze at Manchester 2002.

Tom has made a major contribution to table tennis at all levels and holds 16 Australian titles. He has championed the value of the sport regardless of age, ability or disability and encouraged older players to take up their bat for fun and fitness. Joy and Tom also established Kiama Table Tennis Club in 2007.

Their commitment and service to table tennis has even been recognised with one of the highest honours - an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) - on Australia Day 2021.

Full story Joy and Tom Boyd OAMs can be found:

1. https://youtu.be/R15HeYRDoQ4

2. https://www.tabletennis.org.au/news/joy-and-tom-boyd-oam-life-long-love-of-table-tennis/

Theo Morsink from Sydney Upper North Shore (SUNS) Table Tennis Association received the 25 Years of Service to Table Tennis Award.

Theo has operated SUNSTTA as a volunteer for over 28 years. He is the founder and President of SUNS since 1992. While he stepped down as President in 2021, he continues to be active in various volunteer roles including as a coach, official, administrator, member and, promoter. He was also the long serving President of Sydney Northern Districts Table Tennis Association and a member of the Executive Committee for Table Tennis NSW

Theo has had a remarkable impact on table tennis in the community at all levels.

Full story about Theo Morsink and his SUNS can be found:

1. https://youtu.be/E4Kp6ZMmU-s

2. https://www.ttnsw.org.au/news/30-years-suns-shining/

Stephen Gillespie, Tournament Director of TTNSW, Secretary of TTNSW Umpire Association and Vice President of TTNSW, received the Fran Keyhoe Official of the Year Award.

Stephen has shown ongoing initiative, leadership and dedication as an official. Not only does he recruit new members to become officials by running courses, he also encourages current members to seek to advance their qualifications to higher levels. His recent work as Deputy Referee at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games has been an inspiration to them and many have expressed a desire to emulate his success.

Stephen is the one of two officials in NSW with both titles of the ITTF Blue Badge accredited International Umpire and ITTF accredited International Referee, and is the youngest official of three Australian officials with these two highest ITTF accreditations. Stephen is the second official from NSW to serve in the Olympics and Paralympics after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the first official from NSW to serve in the Olympics and Paralympics after the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Full story about Stephen Gillespie can be found:

1. https://youtu.be/sLZLFNOdwqE

2. https://www.ttnsw.org.au/news/from-it-expert-to-ittf-expert-stephen-gillespie-/

Samuel Miller from Table Tennis ACT received the Young Official of the Year Award. As a valued member of the Table Tennis Australia Capital Territory (ACT) community and Table Tennis New South Wales (NSW) community, Sam brings his skills, energy, and innovation to continually improve and grow the sport of table tennis, and he continues tirelessly and selflessly to run between Canberra and Sydney even nationally during countless weekends to voluntarily organize all level tournaments all year around from club level to international level.

Sam in his capacity as a Board Member, Volunteer and Official (Tournament Controller, Umpire and Referee), organises and manages all local and state-level tournaments within the ACT and most of local and state-level tournaments within the NSW. He has continued to improve his qualifications by obtaining his State Referee accreditation and also facilitated a Level 2 (State) Umpires Course to build ACT’s capacity in officiating.

Full story about Samuel Miller can be found:

1. https://youtu.be/qnJIEaLlBeQ

2. https://www.ttnsw.org.au/news/sam-miller-junior-player-to-ittf-official/

Sam is the Member of TTA Umpires & Referees Committee, and he has been the following volunteering roles at different stages as well: the President of the Australian National University Table Tennis Club, the member of TTNSW Umpires and Referees Association, the member of TTV Umpires League, the Board Member and Competitions & Event Director of TTACT, the Tournament Director of the Inter-University Table Tennis Association (ITTA), and the Oceania Representative for the ITTF Young Umpires Project etc.

Vice President of TTNSW, Ted Davis, congratulates all award winners from the 2021 TTA National Volunteer Awards and special mention to Joy and Tom Boyd OAMs, Theo Morsink, Stephen Gillespie and Samuel Miller, who have genuine contributions to New South Wales table tennis with their remarkable achievements.

Full details about the 2021 TTA Volunteer Awards can be found:

https://www.tabletennis.org.au/news/table-tennis-australia-announce-2021-volunteer-award-recipients/

David Lee and Michael Li thank Marie Pinkewich, Joy and Tom Boyd OAMs, Theo Morsink,   Stephen Gillespie and Samuel Miller for the interviews, discussions, advices and supports contributing to this article, and wish to gratefully acknowledge Kiama Table Tennis Club, the Sydney Upper North Shore Table Tennis Association, Table Tennis NSW (TTNSW) and Table Tennis Australia (TTA).