Our beloved friend, long time RTPC member and former Chairman, Paul Goody, passed away on 17th September, just after his 65th birthday. A number of us, being past and present members of RPTC, attended his service at East Devon Crematorium on 21st October to pay our respects to a character and gentleman who will be sorely missed.
Paul and his wife, Trixie, met through RPTC and were a very devoted and happy couple for the 20 years they were together.
They moved away to South Devon 3 years ago, to be nearer to family and have very much remained in touch with us ever since. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have counted such a wonderful couple as members.
Paul was previously very involved in the North Devon volleyball (as a coach and player), badminton and squash scene, as well as an active member of RPTC. He remained a member until his knees prevented him from being able to play. As a plumber, his joints and knees in particular had to put up with daily abuse, but by his own admission, his enthusiasm for tennis perhaps didn’t help, as there was a time he used to play virtually every day without fail all year round!
Since his passing, I learned that he had become a keen sea fisherman in recent years and I could see from the images on display at his service that he came to take great pleasure in this sport.
Paul and Trixie were each personally responsible (and culpable!) for recruiting many members of RPTC who are still at the club (me for one) or at least remain in touch with us today. When I joined the club the best part of 25 years ago, I particularly remember him making me feel genuinely welcome and immediately part of the Rock Park family. I’m sure that it’s no coincidence that this sentiment lives on in the RPTC’s DNA, given how long the club benefitted from Paul’s positive and cheery influence during his time as a member and Chairman.
Speaking to members past and present, it is a common thread that, aside from his irrepressibly good-humoured and sunny disposition, everyone recalls just how giving Paul was. I can’t count the number of times he helped me in a pinch – whether to do with club business or as my plumber (including on a Christmas Eve when my pipes had sprung a leak)!
Paul was an excellent tennis player (an awkward leftie!) and was part of the Men’s’ A’ Team that earned promotion to the 1st division (nearly 20 years ago) and have pretty much remained constantly since. It was gutting for Paul that it was at that time his knees let him down to the extent that he couldn’t play for the team the following season and enjoy the 1st division tennis he helped the club earn.
Paul is pictured (top) being presented with the RPTC Golden Gnome Trophy and also collecting the coveted the League Cup he helped earn (below) .
Perhaps Paul’s greatest achievement for RPTC was not as a player but as the presiding Chairman who spearheaded the fight for survival as a club when we were due to be evicted from our grounds by the Council. Whilst we now own our own courts (thanks to our subsequent Chairman, the late, and also great, Stuart Watson-Davies), we were previously tenants and at the mercy of the Rock Trust. It looked like the end when notice was served upon us (I believe in or around 2004) and it became apparent that our landlords, in partnership with the Council, had other plans for the grounds on which our club is situated - a sensory garden and car park – the original plans for which we still keep as a reminder of what might have been. At the time, we were already the oldest existing tennis club in all of North Devon, a fact that Paul was immensely proud of and was determined to preserve, whilst RPTC was on his watch.
Lawyers became involved and after a battle with our landlords, they ultimately conceded that we had a protected tenancy, which meant that we were safe for 14 years or so. As a result, we were essentially a burden to them and this in turn led to the possibility of us buying our grounds from the Trust so we never had to worry about the threat of eviction again (but that’s another story).
It was after this that Paul stood down as Chairman and I think he understandably felt that he had more than done his bit, having continued to serve as Chair and lead the fight for survival, despite no longer being able to play tennis himself for some time at that point. Such was the measure of the man that he fought to save our club when he didn’t necessarily know when or even if he’d be able to play again himself. He was deservedly made an Honorary Member of the club as a result of his immense contributions – the only such member to be bestowed with that accolade as far I’m aware, certainly in the club’s recent history.
Rest in peace Paul – please continue to keep an eye on us all! We, as past, present and future members of RPTC, remain grateful for everything you did for the club. Whilst it is hard to believe or accept that when you telephoned me for a catch-up last month, it would be our last ever chance to chat, I do however take some comfort in that your legacy to the club endures. I think you were rightly pleased and hopefully felt a large degree of satisfaction knowing that we’re thriving as a club and now look forward to playing on our newly surfaced courts. All of this would have been meaningless and likely not have happened but for all your involvement and efforts, which go down as a very significant chapter in the club’s long history.
Andy Woo - Club Secretary
October 2022.
Paul and Trixie at the North Devon Dinner Dance collecting the club's trophies