Stratford District Citizen Awards: Eileen Judd has a heart of gold

Eileen Judd is one of three recipients of this year's Stratford District Citizen Awards. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Eileen Judd isn’t the type of person to sit back. When she gets involved with something, be it a sport, a hobby or even an afternoon’s entertainment, she always seems to end up serving as an invaluable committee or group member.

One of this year’s three Stratford District Citizen Award recipients, Eileen is well-known across South and Central Taranaki as a talented croquet player.

Playing croquet, she says, was her mother’s idea.

“She was the instigator. She kept on at me saying I should do a sport. She would say, ‘It doesn’t matter what sport’, but at the same time, she would be saying, ‘Come to croquet’. Every Tuesday, she would say it again.”

Eventually, Eileen gave in and went along.

“I got hooked straight away. So my mother was right, it was a good idea to give it a go.”

Eileen has done far more than just “give it a go” since then, and has now held almost every role the Stratford Croquet Club has over the 30-plus years she has been a member, including captain, secretary, treasurer, president and coach.

Alongside her club duties in Stratford, Eileen was shoulder-tapped to support at the associate level for South Taranaki – again holding roles such as secretary, manager, tournament manager, umpire or referee, coach and even the delegate to the Croquet New Zealand AGM. In fact, she got so busy with the administration side of the game, she had to reduce the amount of time she spent playing.

Eileen’s love of, and skill in, the sport has led to her travelling across the country playing in New Zealand invitationals, as well as refereeing for both croquet and golf croquet tournaments across the country, including the World Associates in Wellington.

She also loves encouraging the next generation of croquet players to develop their skills in the sport, and has been instrumental in getting croquet included as part of the secondary schools’ sports programme. In Taranaki, this has paid off incredibly well, with several local rangatahi representing their schools and region at a national level.

Eileen has been awarded life membership at both the Stratford and South Taranaki clubs, and in 2022 she received the Contribution to Croquet Award at the Croquet New Zealand AGM.

It’s not just croquet that benefits from Eileen’s skills as a committee member. A member of the Stratford Savage Club, she has been the secretary/treasurer of it for the past 10 years.

“You get to meet great people from all over the country,” she says of playing piano and piano accordion with the club, as well as performing in a variety of skits over the years.

“We put on concerts for other clubs, and go see other clubs perform as well. It’s fun, social and a nice way to spend time.”

Another of Eileen’s passions is birds, specifically cage birds such as canaries, budgies and cockatiels. A member of the Stratford Cage Bird Club, which she joined in 1994, Eileen has been the club’s secretary and treasurer since 2001.

The club has a show once a year, she says.

“There is a lot involved when it comes to what judges look for in the different breeds, it’s quite specific. Cage birds are lovely things. They are only in the cages for the show - people keep them in aviaries at home outside of the shows.”