Lakes Entrance Croquet Club has emerged victorious in a tri-club challenge recently held at Bairnsdale Croquet Club to honour the late Jim Clement.
The event brought together players from Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and Sale, with Lakes Entrance finishing ahead of Bairnsdale and Sale. The day also raised more than $500 for cancer research through the Cancer Council Victoria, and organisers hope it will become an annual memorial event.
Clement was a major contributor to all three clubs over many years and played a significant role in the sport of croquet at local, state, national and international levels.
His involvement in croquet over the past 20 years of his life was extensive. He was a former president of Croquet Victoria and held several senior positions with Croquet Australia. His association with the sport began when he established a club in Sarsfield, where he also began a long career in golf croquet refereeing and coaching.
He officiated across all levels of competition, from club and regional events through to state, national and international tournaments, including the 2009 Women’s World Golf Croquet Championship and the 2017 World Golf Croquet Championship at the Victorian Croquet Centre. He also served as tournament referee at the 2023 World Croquet Championship Over-50 Golf Croquet event in Bunbury, Western Australia.
Clement was national coordinator of refereeing for almost 10 years and was widely respected for his administrative expertise. He served as secretary of Croquet Victoria from 2010 to 2016 and president from 2016 to 2022, overseeing the delivery of major World Croquet Federation events at the Victorian Croquet Centre, including the 2017 World Golf Croquet Championship, the 2020 MacRobinson Shield Championship, and acting as house manager for both the 2012 Women’s World AC Championship and the 2020 World AC Championship.
At Croquet Australia, he held roles including secretary, treasurer, and later national handicapper for two years. After retirement, Clement continued his service to the sport as president of Croquet Gippsland and secretary of the Bairnsdale Croquet Club.
Beyond croquet, Clement devoted much
of his life to community service. He spent many years with Scouting Victoria, finishing as District Commissioner in Knox City. During his 30 years in Bairnsdale, he also served as honorary secretary of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association and spent 12 months as secretary of local radio station REG FM
at their request.
