It is my pleasure to present the Life Member Award to another one of our ranks.
Tonight’s recognition goes to a talented dashing half back flanker, come wingman and occasional midfield player who went on to play over 200 senior games. Following a considerable break due to living and working in Launceston he returned to St Helens and has served on the committee for eleven years.
I have the pleasure of announcing ‘Fyshy’ Nick Fysh as tonight’s recipient of Life Membership
Having grown up in St Helens Nick went off to Grammar in Launceston for school where he pursued his passion for sport including footy. The senior 1st school side was quite a prestigious accomplishment, Nick played alongside some very talented players and honed his footy talent.
When Nick commenced his PE teacher training at University in Launceston he was enticed to play footy back in St Helens (no doubt his father Charlie a big supporter of the club for many years had a fair role to play in this decision)
Travelling from Launceston each weekend Nick clocked up 200 senior games between1977 and 1990. Nick played in the Swans FDFA Premiership sides of 84, 85 and 87, was selected in a number of FDFA combined teams and was named in the Swans team of the Decade of the 80s. Nick was a very handy player.
Nick had a break from the club following his playing days as he was living and working in Launceston. On retirement from teaching, Nick returned to the coast, our club president at the time Michael Richards seized the opportunity and recruited Nick to the committee in 2016. Throughout his eleven years on the committee Nick has fulfilled many roles and made a considerable contribution through this significant phase of the club’s development.
Following is a snapshot of his contributions;
Through 2016 Nick helped Michael Richards and I prepare and present our submission to the NTFA seeking inclusion into their competition,
As President in 2017 our first year in the NTFA, Nick had a huge year with a pretty small committee at the time he pathed the way for us playing off in the grand final in year one, an amazing achievement. We learnt plenty that year and managed to back it up the following year with premiership success.
Nick took on the sponsorship portfolio in 2017 bringing several new high-level sponsors to the club and established the foundations of what is now one of our biggest revenue streams.
Nick has been club secretary from several years, a role that encompasses a broad range of tasks.
Nick has always revelled in being amongst the players on game day and has been senior match manager for most of our time we have been in the NTFA. For nearly a decade Nick’s role has seen him at most home and away games, on home games fulfilling a long list of tasks sometimes constituting 10 to 12 hour days.
Nick and Michael Richards initiated the establishment of our ‘200 Club’, an outstanding initiative, reconnect many past personnel to the club as well as bringing plenty of new members into the fold, this has also provided a significant predictable annual revenue stream .
In recent years Nick has sent two weekly updates to our 200 Club Members including forwarding the weekly game day report he has written for the North Eastern Advertiser, frequently weaving in his quirky sense of humour and occasionally having a sly dig at opposing clubs and umpires when he just couldn’t help himself. Nick also entertained us every week for several seasons in his weekly Star FM radio footy show, keeping our community updated with all Swans news.
Nick has been on the Pyengana Game organising committee, willing to jump into what ever needed to be done.
Our Monster Auction has become a huge event and significant revenue raiser for the club, thanks to Michael LeFevre and family for initiating this and kicking it off, to share the load overtime and to sustain the exercise a small committee has been formed that Nick has willingly been part of.
Over two decades of significant sustained effort both on and off the field is certainly worthy of Life Membership recognition.
