Past and present WSA chairs receive awards for their services to sport

Paul Dancey on 22/12/2011

This month Welsh Sports Association chair Anne Ellis, and our previous chairman, Bob Turner, both received prestigious awards for their services to sport.

Anne Ellis received a BBC Wales sports personality lifetime achievement award for her dedication to sport in general and hockey in particular over nearly 50 years.

The award was presented last week at the annual BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

Ann has been chair of the Welsh Sports Association since 2009, and was Vice Chairman of Sports Council for Wales from 1999 to 2007. She is also the President of the Welsh Hockey Union and a member of the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Executive Board.

In congratulating her on her well deserved award, Hockey Wales described Anne as "a true legend in the sport of hockey, representing both Wales and Great Britain as captain and coach, winning 138 consecutive Welsh caps – a record that still stands today. Anne remains heavily involved with numerous Welsh organisations and still finds time to dedicate to both the European Hockey and International Hockey Federations. She is also the President of the Hockey Wales board and can be found most weekends making teas and coffees at her local club Swansea Ladies Hockey Club!"

Earlier this month, Princess Alexandra presented Bob Turner with a Torch Trophy for services to fencing. The ceremony took place at the Army and Navy Club in London's Pall Mall.

The Torch Trophy Trust has its origins in the 1948 Olympics held in London, and presents awards to individuals who have been identified as making an outstanding contribution as a volunteer in their chosen sport.

Bob, who is the Chairman of Welsh Fencing, has served his sport throughout a long and distinguished career, since joining his local fencing club in Cardiff as a schoolboy. He quickly made progress as a fencer and he was awarded his International Colours in the early sixties. As well as being a committed competitor, he had already started to give back a lot of his time to the club, in administration and in other ways.

He always found time to help where required, giving great priority to fencing at grass-roots level. His competitive success continued - with one of his greatest moments taking place at the 1974 Canadian Fencing Championships, where he lead the Welsh team to a silver medal. Back at home, Bob became a member of the Welsh Sports Council and chair of the Welsh Sports Association, as well as many other respected positions that have resulted in many people benefiting from his experience and great sense of fairness.

In more recent times, Bob underwent major surgery but continued with the day-to-day administration of Welsh fencing throughout his recovery. Once back to full health, he immediately got back into competing in the World Veterans Championships in Australia. Bob is the epitome of the true amateur enthusiast and has put more back into the sport than he has ever taken from it. His love for fencing has never diminished and at 70 he is as keen as ever. Many people over his lifetime have benefited from his selfless enthusiasm.

Congratulations to both Anne and Bob on their well deserved awards.

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