Team, 

Sadly I must inform you that our ex member Chris Young passed away on Christmas eve after a long illness, i have attached an Eulogy that appears on the TTV website today. Thanks to Chris Mainland for making me aware.

Christine was a proud Western Australian, but lived in Victoria from 1982 to 1990 and while here was an active member of our St Kilda Cricket TT Club.  A quiet and vivacious woman, Chris was a pleasure to be around and will be remembered fondly by our members from that era! 

Chris keenly participated in our club championships during her stay with us and was club Open Doubles champion with Glen Tepper in 1988 and runner up with Glen against club greats George Puchlenko & Bob Tuckett in 1982. What a great match!. Chris was also Handicap Doubles champion with Howard Luong in 1988. 

In pennant competition Chris won flags for the club in 1983 & 1984 in A4.

Chris was a lovely person and a great player to watch, unique in that she played from the table and never moved her feet. Not much anyway!

Our thoughts and condolences go to Bob and Shannon.

fond memories, Rod

Rod Cowling 0408 231 702

Honorary Secretary

St Kilda Cricket Table Tennis Club

VALE CHRISTINE YOUNG

Published Wed 05 Jan 2022

We sadly announce that former TTV player Christine Young passed away over the holidays, our deepest condolences are with her family and friends and we'd like to share the following written by Brian Lauri.

Christine Young passed away on Christmas Eve 2021. She was 63 years and 2 months old. She had been diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease in May 2010, at the age of 51, and had been admitted to an aged care facility in March 2016, at the age of 57. When I visited her at the facility shortly after her admission, the contrast with the vibrant, attractive woman I had known could not have been more stark or more harrowing. It was apparent that the Christine Young whom many people had come to know and love had already left us. That this had occurred in her fifties seemed grotesquely unfair. However, this is not the occasion to contemplate life’s inequities, but to celebrate Christine’s life – on and off the table tennis table.

Christine had an outstanding record in junior table tennis events in Western Australia, including winning the State Junior Girls’ Singles Championship 4 years in succession (1973-1976 inclusive). In national junior events, she was competitive and may, possibly, have won some national titles had not her junior career substantially overlapped that of Leanne Morrow, who was a once in a generation player (how many players from any sport win national under 14, under 16, under 18 and open singles titles in the same year, as Leanne did in 1973?).

In senior table tennis events in Western Australia, Christine’s record was even more outstanding than her junior record. She won a record 9 State Open Women’s Singles Championships (6 in a row from 1974 to 1979 inclusive), together with 8 State Open Women’s Doubles Championships and 7 State Open Mixed Doubles Championships.

In 1980, Christine was ranked number 10 in the Australian Women’s Rankings.

Christine moved to Melbourne in the latter part of 1981 and played in table tennis competitions in Victoria from 1982 to 1990 inclusive, during which period she was ranked in the top 10 women in Victoria in 7 years – her highest rankings being number 4 in 1985 and number 5 in 1983. With Wendy Hughes, she won the Victorian Open Women’s Doubles Championship in 1983 and 1985.

In national senior events, she and Wendy Hughes won the Australian Open Women’s Doubles Championship in 1984 and the Australian Closed Women’s Doubles Championship in 1989. Additionally, Christine was a member of the Victorian Women’s Team which won the Australian Women’s Teams Event (the Ron Jones Shield) in 1985.

In 2000, Christine was awarded a 2000 Australia Medal for her contribution to table tennis.

Although Christine’s playing technique improved during the course of her career, her style of play did not undergo any radical changes. She played close to the table, positioning herself not far from the centre of the table, and rarely budged from that position. Up to the time of her move to Melbourne, her footwork was almost non-existent on most points. It improved during her Melbourne years, but it never became a strong suit of her game. However, she compensated for a lack of mobility with excellent anticipation, and her pushing and counterhitting were very consistent.

Her greatest asset was her temperament. She was rarely overawed or ruffled and it was generally very difficult to discern from her demeanor at the end of a point whether she had won or lost that point. Some people construed this lack of outward emotion to mean that she was giving less than a 100% effort, but in fact it concealed a steely determination to win. In table tennis, as in all of the racquet sports, what often separates the very good players from the rest is how they play the big points – and this does not necessarily depend on technique or fitness. Christine played the big points very well.

As to where Christine ranks among the greatest female players produced in Western Australia, comparisons between players of different generations are always difficult to make. Christine Dempster (nee Shepherd) has a strong claim to being the greatest: in the Australian Women’s Rankings, she was ranked number 4 in 1963, number 4 in 1964 and number 6 in 1965; she played for Australia in the Women’s Teams Event (the Corbillon Cup) in the 1963 and 1965 World Championships; and she won the Australian Mixed Doubles Championship with Michael Wilcox in 1963, 1964 and 1965. She won only 4 State Open Women’s Singles Championships, but she retired in her early twenties. To the extent that weight is placed on longevity, Christine Young undoubtedly has it on her side. As mentioned above, her 9 State Open Women’s Singles Championships is a record and had she been playing in Western Australia in the years 1982-1990 inclusive, she would almost certainly have added several more titles to her record. On any view, she is one of the greatest female players produced in Western Australia.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Christine’s personal life was linked to table tennis up to and including her early adulthood. In the latter part of the 1970s, she was in a relationship with Tony Masel, a contemporary of hers who won even more State Junior Singles Championships (6) than Christine, although not as many State Open Singles Championships (3) as her.

When Christine moved to Melbourne, she began a relationship with Bob Tuckett, who more recently (in 2020) was inducted into the “Athletes – Open” category of TTA’s Hall of Fame, joining 16 other athletes (male and female), all of whom undoubtedly belong in the pantheon of Australia’s greatest players. In September 1986, Christine and Bob had a daughter, Shannon. Their relationship ended in 1989 and Christine returned to Western Australia with Shannon at about the end of 1990.

Once back in Western Australia, Christine purchased a block of land in Glen Forrest and, with the assistance of her father and, to a lesser extent, some friends, built a Cedar wood home. The building of the home was a significant achievement for Christine, but a much more significant achievement was, as a single mother, her raising of Shannon to adulthood.

In 1995, Christine married Geoff Abbott, a printer who, as far as I am aware, had no connection to table tennis. The marriage did not last very long.

In her working life, Christine had a variety of occupations. Initially, she worked with Tony Masel in an aquarium shop. In Melbourne, she was the personal assistant to the head of Catholic Education in Melbourne. On her return to Western Australia, she had several jobs, including her own bookkeeping business.

Christine is survived by her daughter Shannon, her granddaughter Ellie, Shannon’s partner Thibault, Christine’s elder sister Janet and her brother-in-law John.

At the time of her admission to the aged care facility, Christine was in another relationship, but I cannot comment on that relationship.

Christine had a much shorter life than she deserved and at times it was a tough life, but she had many significant achievements, both on and off the table tennis table, and her warmth and vitality enriched the lives of all of those who knew her.