Former GAO President Barb Allan was announced as one of the five 2016 inductees into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame on Jan, 11. Allan will enter the hall as a builder for her work in the sport of golf. Allan and the other inductees will be honoured on May 6 at a ceremony at Lady of Fatima Parish Hall. The GAO would like to congratulate Allan on this honour.
Excerpt From the Kingston Whig Standard:
Allan moved to Kingston in 1976 and almost immediately became a member at Garrison Golf and Curling Club. Her nominators described her as passionate and committed to golf.
Allan served as president and as a governor for the Golf Association of Ontario. She also been been active with Golf Canada at the executive level. Locally Allan helped establish the player development program for the Kingston’s district.
In 2014 Allan was recognized by Golf Canada with a distinguished service award for her “significant impact on the game.”
The Kingston Whig-Stangard
Jenny Ellis, a native of New South Wales, Australia, who emigrated to Kingston in 1963, excelled in three sports: tennis, squash and golf, which she only started playing in her 30s.
A rough first outing — a dozen shots needed to get off the first tee at Glen Lawrence — soon gave way to summers of splendid play.
Ellis, now 73, copped the women’s title at her Garrison course six times and for 15 years was a member of the team that represented the city at the Ontario championship.
It was during the latter event, in the late 1980s, that Ellis recorded her first hole-in-one. She carded another last year with a perfect wedge shot on No. 11 at Garrison. That makes — get ready for this — 11 career aces.
Golf she learned in this country. Tennis she knew well from her youth Down Under. The family backyard featured a full-sized court.
She captured the Kingston singles and doubles titles in 1979 and replicated that double-barrel feat six more times in the 1980s.
“I know it’s a short season, but I couldn’t believe how often they played over here,” said the retired physiotherapist. “In Australia, we played once or twice a week. Here they played every day.”
Ellis was the GAO’s 2008 District Volunteer of the Year, she is a past District Coordinator and was involved with the Kingston District Women’s Training Program. She currently volunteers as a Course Rater.
Ellis joins four others who will be honoured on May 1 in Kingston. The other inductees are: George Richardson, Athlete (hockey), Bob Storring, Athlete (fastball), Jack Aldridge, Builder, and Don Dennee, Builder.
