Laraine Gray has been awarded Life Membership of Killara Golf Club in recognition of her significant contribution to the Club for 38 years. The decision was indeed a popular one with members old and new acknowledging her dedication and ongoing service in a wide variety of initiatives that have been beneficial to the continued growth and diversity of the club. Laraine was Killara s Ladies Captain from 1994-1996 and Ladies Club President from 1998-2000. She was already an accomplished golfer by then, playing in the Killara Grade Team from 1988 until 2002. Always competitive, she even played one Grade game in 2008 when needed in an emergency – and took her opponent all the way to the 18th! Laraine continues to caddy for the Grade Team offering her wealth of experience and support. One of Laraine s outstanding achievements to date was the establishment of the Killara Pro-Am in 1995. This event, which raised thousands of dollars for charity each year, was one of the highlight events of the Pro-Am calendar and the NSW PGA circuit. Not only did the event raise the profile of Killara Golf Club amongst the Pros in Australia and become a sought after event, it culminated in Killara winning the award for the best run Metropolitan Ladies Pro-Am in 2009. In 1996 she saw a need to encourage young people to take up golf and, with the Board s approval and the help of member Lynda McKay and the Ladies Committee, she started the Killara Cadet Program. The program has been highly successful over the years and is still helping to develop our golfing stars of the future. In 1997 she was appointed to the Board at KGC and was elected Vice President from 2000-2002. She also chaired the House Committee during this time and used her management and organisational skills to assist with the refurbishment of the Golf Club. In 2007 Laraine was appointed Club Archivist. She has worked at making the Club’s 100 plus year history more accessible and significant to the members. Laraine s extensive contributions extend beyond the boundaries of KGC. She has been involved with Golf Australia in the organisation of The Australian Women’s Open for a number of years, coordinating and managing volunteers, scorers and on-course communication. She was also a State and Commonwealth referee for WGNSW and a member of the NSW Golf Foundation Board for several years. Killara Golf Club congratulates Laraine Gray on her outstanding achievements and contributions to golf and to her Club. She is proudly welcomed as a Life Member.
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