NEW life member Janelle Browning is someone every club needs.
The Rosewood Golf Club secretary has been one of the most dedicated committee members since taking on the job in 2014.
Before that, she had helped juniors, did ladies handicapping work (2011) and was a ladies club vice-captain (2012). She was appointed ladies club treasurer in 2013, continuing that role until 2019 while also working as club secretary.
As Rosewood Golf Club president Jamie Soppa observed: “She can’t say no’’.
“When someone is asked to do something, Janelle would do it.”
After a decade of what Jamie said was sometimes a full-time job, Janelle will soon be taking a less demanding role.
Janelle and Jamie are standing down at this month’s AGM.
“It’s my turn to step down and let someone else have a go,” Janelle said.
Jamie said Janelle’s reliability will be missed after she received a deserved life membership badge at the club’s recent 70th anniversary function.
“It is a terrific honour,” Janelle said.
“It just makes you feel good and it makes you realise that people do appreciate all you do.”
The efforts of dependable club person Mary Gibson were also recognised with life membership on the same night.
Mary has been a valuable volunteer, fulfilling multiple roles like running the Sunday barbeque and social club activities, along with gardening and cleaning.
Thagoona-based Janelle plans to help out at the club next year – just not as secretary.
“There are so many lovely people,” she said. “It’s been great.”
Janelle became a member at the end of 2005, when she started playing golf.
She has a strong connection to the club through her husband Wayne and six children.
She understandably gets emotional when her youngest son Dean’s name comes up on Facebook or in golfing circles.
Dean, aged 19, died in a car accident on his way to work in Victoria in May last year.
During Janelle’s extra busy time of the year, Dean is never far from her thoughts.
He was a junior member of the Rosewood Golf Club along with Janelle and Wayne’s other children Shane, Michael, Kristie, Andrew and Neil.
Shane has been a club captain and Division 2 pennants player.
All the Browning clan have played golf at different stages at the 18 hole course on Karrabin-Rosewood Road.
Janelle said a fond golfing memory of Dean, when he was 14, was hitting a hole in one on the Rosewood course second green.
Janelle has also been assisting her ill mum, showing great strength to keep working at the club during a difficult time.
As club secretary, Janelle was preparing for the Annual General Meeting and finalising end of year competitions, including the recent Rosewood Open which attracted more than 100 players in the rainy conditions.
“Most people seemed to enjoy it,” she said of the club’s major annual tournament.
“We would have liked better weather, but those things happen.”
Janelle said the intermittent showers made a change to past Open events contested in “super hot” and humid conditions.
Janelle also shared in the club’s 70th anniversary where she received her life membership before stepping down.
The former Wests hockey player started her golf journey at the club in 2006, before moving into her official roles.
Decades later, Janelle has few regrets after serving the country club with a fine reputation.
“We try to pride ourselves as being the friendliest club and we try to be really welcoming to everybody,” Janelle said.
“We have been steadily increasing [playing numbers] since the Covid year really.”
Janelle said that was an especially challenging time for the club having to deal with the government restrictions.
“We adapted to allow people to still play and we had a lot of people come in then and a lot of new members and new social players who just continued to come,” she said.
“We put things in place like special deals for people because you could have one person in a cart.
“There was a lot of things there where you had to keep sourcing information to find out what you could and couldn’t do.
“There were lots of grey areas.”
She said the most satisfying part of her secretarial work was “welcoming new members and just getting to know the people”.
“And making the time to include everyone,” she said.
Janelle said the toughest aspect of being a secretary was “the more you know the more questions you get asked”.
“You’re busy, busy, busy,” she said.
However, working as an administrative officer for many years provided a solid foundation for Janelle’s golf work.
She grew up in Tivoli, going to school at North Ipswich before finishing year 10 at Bundamba High after moving to that suburb.
In 1984, Janelle married keen social golfer, Wayne in Ipswich.
