End of an era

Press, 4 March 1983, Page 19

End of an era

An era in Canterbury' softball came to an end last week when Mrs Vyonne Gibson stepped down as vicepresident after almost 20 years of service to the Canterbury association.

Mr Gibson’s involvement in softball spanned more than 40 years and involved every facet of the sport. — playing, umpiring, coaching, managing, tournament organising. fund-raising and administration.

She began her career as a player with the Vikings club in Wellington at the tender age of 13. From there she moved into the Sincerity club.

As she progressed through the grades Mrs Gibson moved to Broadway, a club which has produced many New Zealand representatives and remains one of the best club sides in the country. At the age of 26 she became a senior umpire and shortly afterwards married the present New Zealand Softball Association councillor, Jim Gibson, and shifted to Christchurch where she played for both the Monowai and" Hagley clubs.

Mrs Gibson took time out to have two children, both of whom began playing softball as soon as they could. Meanwhile, she stopped playing and began coaching club sides and administering at club and provincial level.

• For four seasons in the 1970 s Mrs Gibson coached the Canterbury B teams at national tournaments and in 1980 and 1981 she was the manager of the Canterbury A side. However, she was forced to step down for medical reasons. In 1958 Mrs Gibson served a year on the N.Z.S.A. council and she has been a regular Canterbury delegate at the national body’s annual meetings over the years. Administrators come and go in any sport, but in Canterbury softball Mrs Gibson will long be remembered as a colourful, hard-working, and forthright personality whose experience and levelheadedness is a great loss to the association.