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Touch life
membership for
Lou Tompkins
by Greg Martin
Former
Richmond resident
and top-class rugby
league player, Lou
Tompkins, has been
awarded a coveted
Life Membership
by Touch Football
Australia.
I was able to
catch up with
the former fleetfooted winger
when he returned
to Richmond last
month to attend
a reunion of
Riverstone, Windsor
and Richmond
players who pulled
on jerseys in the
60s and 70s.
Lou, who
regularly returns
to the Hawkesbury
from the Gold
Coast to visit a
host of family
and friends, was
awarded the life
membership by the
TFA board whose
members include
Dave Smith, CEO
of the Australian
Rugby League
Commission and
Todd Greenberg of
the National Rugby
League.
The TFA has
now formed a
partnership with
the NRL, hence
the two league
heavyweights being
on the TFA board.
The life
membership, awarded for long and
distinguished service to Touch, is just
reward for a man who has devoted
more than 40 years to the sport.
“I’m absolutely over the moon
with this honour bestowed on me by
Touch Football Australia,” Lou said.
“You don’t do these things to gain
gongs and honours and such – you
do it for the love of the game.
“Being involved with Touch
has been a long and rewarding
experience and I’ve loved every
moment of it.”
Lou has done it all in Touch –
player, official, administrator and
referee and it is in that area where he
has been mainly involved throughout
his career.
However prior to getting Touchy,
Lou was a topflight winger with
Richmond Rugby League throughout
the juniors and seniors, playing
Presidents Cup with Penrith in 1970
and then running on with a powerful
A Grade side from the early 70s.
Whilst still playing for Richmond,
Lou also gave great service as the
club’s treasurer.
“I had to give league and playing
Touch away in 1976 due to a serious
leg injury but as they say, one door
closes and another door opens so I
became heavily involved in Touch,”
Lou said.
In 2002, Lou a lecturer at the
University of Western Sydney, was
medically retired due to serious
illness (cancer, first diagnosed in year
2000 and currently suffering fourth
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recurrence of same) and moved to
the Gold Coast with his wife, Robyn
and family.
Here’s a brief outline on Lou’s
contribution to Touch.
* Member of the Federation of
International Touch Referee
Commission since 1991 and
current member of the
International Touch Football
Rules Committee.
* Currently National Referee
Coach Development Advisor,
TFA; member of Queensland
Referee Coaching Panel and
Regional Referee Director of
South Queensland Sharks.
* Served as National Referee
Director, TFA from 2005 to
2010.
* Served as referee and Referee
Coaching Panel member
with NSW Touch Football
Association from 1980s to
2002. NSW Touch awarded
him the Blues Award for long
and distinguished service to
the referee arm.
* Awarded the Australian Sports
Medal to coincide with Sydney
Olympics (for services to
Touch Football).
* Played and refereed with
Hawkesbury Touch Football
Association from early 1970s
to early 1980s and served as
president of that association
during the latter years.
Yes indeed, that Life Membership
is just reward for this devoted
sportsman!
HAWKESBURY DISTRICT INDEPENDENT NEWS www.hdinews.com.au
ISSUE 60 // MAY 2015 15