Industry News
THE VON BRONZE UNVEILED
In what was a moving ceremony at the Nudgee Golf
Club, Australian golf’s trailblazer, Norman Von Nida was
honoured in the unveiling of The Von Bronze, a permanent
reminder of the connection Von Nida had not only with
the Nudgee Golf Club but with all Australian golfers.
Von Nida, who passed away in May of 2007, would have
turned 100 on Valentine’s Day earlier this month and
through the efforts of Nudgee Golf Club stalwart, John
Hay, the project to erect this tribute has been underway
for nearly two years.
During the ceremony dignitaries from the Nudgee Golf
Club, Royal Queensland Golf Club, Golf Australia, The
PGA of Australia and various other golfing organisations
and individuals were present along with several others
who spoke of the great deeds Von Nida performed,
not only on the golf course, but on what he did for the
generation of golfers who followed.
The unveiling ceremony was carried out by Norman Von
Nida’s daughter Kerrie Easdown, Andrew Mullins, the
grandson of the man who first discovered and introduced
Von Nida to the Nudgee Golf Club, Tom Mullins, and the
Presidents of both the Nudgee and Royal Queensland
Golf Clubs.
Von Nida developed his interest in the game when a
caddie at Royal Queensland and played much of his golf
in his later years at the iconic Brisbane layout.
name a few and last night the audience got to hear audio
recordings from Gary Player and Thomson on the impact
Norman Von Nida had on their lives.
They also heard from author Ben Robertson who in
1999 collaborated with Von Nida to produce the highly
acclaimed book title The Von. Robertson talked about
the time he had putting the book together and his
subsequent friendship with Von Nida.
Addresses were also made by Mark Gibson the
Chairman of the PGA of Australia and Golf Queensland
Chairman Peter Castrisos, Ian Lynagh representing
Royal Queensland and Club President Robert Sang who
welcomed all on behalf of the Nudgee Golf Club.
Also included was a presentation by MC for the evening,
local golf journalist Bruce Young, who read a piece
recorded with Von Nida in an audio tribute Young had
produced and narrated in 2003 on the Von’s life. The
piece Young chose was the finale of that tribute in which
Von Nida had described his life and why he enjoyed
sharing his success in the manner he did.
Kerrie Easdown thanked all for their tribute to her father.
The Von Bronze, the background story and the list of its
many sponsors, including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman,
Peter Thomson, Gary Player, leading golfing organisations
and many other golfing identities may be viewed at the
Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane.
It was at the Nudgee Golf Club in 1931 however
where Von Nida first became a member under
the encouragement of Mullins and began the
long road to international and domestic success
which included 16 European titles, four Australian
PGA Championships and three Australian Opens
among many other significant tournament
victories.
During his career and his lifetime Von Nida
assisted many players to achieve greatness
including the likes of Peter Thomson, Gary Player,
Bruce Crampton, David Graham, Bruce Devlin to
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