Libby: historian, gardener, golfer… and now honorary member
She has made some significant contributions over the years.
Libby Cochrane, Southbroom’s favourite ‘Aussie’, was recently granted honorary membership at Southbroom Golf Club.
The announcement was made at the club’s annual general meeting, much to her surprise and delight.
Libby has made vast contributions in various fields, but it was her creative and devoted work in the gardens in and around the course and town, as well as her support of the club over many years, which saw her receive this recognition.
“To be honest, I’m quite overwhelmed, a little weepy even,” said Libby.
She has made some significant contributions over the years.
A few of the major ones include:
– Reminding Margate it had a centenary in 2009, leading a party to find the exact location of where ‘No Man’s Land’ was formally annexed to Natal.
– Putting Southbroom’s history of ‘yesteryear’ into a book.
– Serving on the first ratepayers’ committee and thereafter serving on two other committees.
– Is a life member of the Southbroom Conservancy and has played a major role in establishing and maintaining gardens in the village for the past two decades.
– Served on the ladies’ committee at Southbroom GC, on and off, for a number of years, under various captains.
– Introduced two annual ladies trophy events – Nationals versus Internationals in 2004 and, of course, what was originally the Iron’s Only competition, now called ‘Five Clubs’.
It was on her suggestion that the Irons Only competition be introduced in the late 1990s.
“The women used to moan and groan but at the end of the round enjoyed it tremendously, especially re-discovering what they could do with their irons,” she explained.
In 2000 Guy Spittal made a trophy for this competition.
When Libby started playing she had a small number of second-hand irons plus what was actually a children’s putter.
It was not a complete set and the 4-iron was her Big Bertha.
The late Eve Gradwell, however, presented her with an ancient 3-iron.
“The leather grip was so smooth and worn I could hardly keep hold of it, so, no worries, I simply bound it with several layers of yellow electrician’s tape,” she said.
It served her well for a number of years and when it came to deciding on a design for the trophy, it seemed a good idea to use the 3-iron, which was forged in Nairobi, Kenya in the 1930s.
“Guy did a wonderful job mounting a section of the shaft on a wooden plinth.”
Over the years, as rescues and hybrid clubs came on the scene and, with Libby’s strict rules, some of the women even had to hire a set of irons from the pro shop in order to enter the competition.
After her husband Ian (a former club chairman) died 13 years ago, she played less and less golf, but still had her town gardening commitments, a home to run and her ‘kids’ to care for.
She returned to work at the Herald three days a week as a sub-editor for a few years and found there was even less time to play golf.
“Sadly, the longer you stay off the course, the harder it is to return,” she observed.
However, she may just venture out again and have a go, as long as she can avoid one fresh air after another!
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