Valé Gayle Anderson.

It is with much sadness that I tell you of the passing of Gayle Anderson.

Gayle was a member of the committee of the Victorian Branch of ATFCA for around 25 years.

She is a Life Member of the branch. She served as Vice President including for a period when Pam Telfer was president. She later served as Coach Education Coordinator which was her biggest role with the branch and she definitely was very thorough in her organisation, lecturing and other associated tasks. Many coaches who did our courses still mention how they started their coaching journey at one of Gayle’s courses.

My first close association with Gayle was when I did emergency teaching at Clarinda Primary School in 1976. Gayle also taught at schools including Rowville PS, Heathmont PS and Yarra Road PS.

Gayle and Kirsteen Farrance, who was also on the committee when I started, trained together and were coached by Pamela Telfer, Jean Roberts and the late Henri Schubert. They competed in heptathlons together and then went on to qualify as athletics officials. Both Gayle and Kirsteen were both lucky enough to be appointed to 2000 Olympics, Paralympics, 2006 and 2018 Commonwealth Games as well as numerous State, National and Oceania Championship over the years.

Pam Telfer recruited me to the ATFCA Vic Committee and activities in those days included a fund-raising walkathon at Duncan McKinnon Reserve, Murrumbeena at a time when the branch’s funds were in the red; the introduction of a Branch Coaches’ Travel Fund which was later to expand nationally; and the inception of Branch Life Memberships when Pam took it upon herself to make a captain’s pick in naming Henri Schubert as our first Branch Life Member. Gayle, Kirsteen and myself are honoured to now also be Branch Life Members.

That regime pulled the branch into the black where we have remained since. The branch’s travel fund has allowed the branch to stay financially viable and to provide Coaches’ Insurance for coaches in Victoria and other states during a brief period when the national body was pronounced dormant. The national body was able to re-activate and we are where we are at today.

Gayle and Kirsteen also worked together in school sport in Victoria.

Gayle was a Demons tragic and together with Kirsteen attended the Premierships celebration at the MCG in December last year.

Gayle will be sadly missed by the many who knew her.

Maureen Reynolds, one of our branch Life Members, mentors and consultants, recalls that she used to compete against Gayle for many years and that Gayle was such a wonderful gentle person.

Gayle, from the ATFCA Family, many thanks for your wonderful years of service to our association and our sport.

May you rest in peace.

Gayle’s funeral will be this Friday 28 January at Heritage Funerals, 733 Boronia Road, Wantirna at 10 a.m..

The following links are to Tributes from:

Athletics Victoria: https://athsvic.org.au/vale-gayle-anderson/

Athletics Oceania: https://athletics-oceania.com/17/01/17057/#comments

School Sport Victoria: https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/Pages/NEWSValeGayleAnderson.aspx

John Crane.
President ATFCA Vic Branch.

With input from Kirsteen Farrance and Maureen Reynolds.