Singer awaits golf club membership

Press, 19 December 1981, Page 25

Singer awaits golf club membership

By

KEN COATES

in 'London The New Zealand opera singer, Kiri Te Kanawa, who loves to relax on the golf course, is still waiting to become a member of the Richmond Golf Club, at Sudbrook Park, near her country home in Surrey. The best she can hope for is for an early vacancy in the closed membership of 65 women and admission “some

time in the New Year." The club in the stockbroker belt of outer London and which has more than 500 male members, was miffed at a report in the national “Sunday ■ Express,” last month.

This said that the world’s greatest lyric soprano could sign for Prince Charles at the Royal wedding, but had to wait to be admitted to this chauvinistic organisation. As it turned out, since the wedding Miss Te Kanawa has had little time to get out with her clubs on the picturesque Surrey course. After a hectic season at Covent Garden, she was acclaimed by opera-lovers in Paris for her performance in “Rosenkavalier,” and she has more recently delighted a large audience in Frankfurt. Then she flew with her two children and their nanny to New York, where she will

spend Christmas with friends. She has an engagement with the New York Metropolitican Opera until the end of February and will give recitals in the United States between performances. Her agent, Mr Basil Horsfield, said from Monte Carlo that although Miss Te Kanawa had recently had absolutely no time for golf she was keen to become a member at Richmond.

The club was upset at the report because she was not being turned down or anything like that. The Richmond Golf Club secretary, Commander Peter Woollings R. N. (retired), is adamant however, that rules are rules.

“I am not prepared to comment, or to issue any statement to the press which has a completely spurious and incorrect report, other than to say her husband is a member and she is on the waiting list,” he said. It appears Miss Te Kanawa has been at the top of the waiting list of wouldbe woman members for more than a year, while her husband, an Australian mining engineer, Mr Desmond Park, has been a playing member for some years. Commander Woollings declined to say exactly how November’s report was inaccurate, and seemed to be

mainly concerned that it was published at all. Men were on a waiting list, too, but he refused to say how many. Commander Woollings was emphatic that there was no question of Miss Te Kanawa being considered unsuitable as a golf club member. He was sure she would be admitted eventually. Could he give an assurance that Miss Te Karawa would become a member fairly soon.

He would not sail so close to the wind: “I would not say fairly soon, but there are bound to be vacancies at the end of the year, and hopefully there will be one for her some time in the New Year,” he said.