Jack Clifford with wife Jean. The couple have been married for 64 years. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
He’s known in town as the man who’ll do anyone a favour at any time. Just don’t expect it done with a smile.
Jack Clifford has retired after 66 years of loyal service to tennis in Griffith, serving as a player, committee member, volunteer, and groundsman for the past quarter-century.
“He might seem grumpy on the outside, but he’s truly a beautiful person,” his wife Jean said.
A teenage Jack started playing tennis on mud courts at Tharbogang in the 1950s.
“In those days, we wore white long pants and white long-sleeve tops. I was never an A-grade player and I was never coached, but I loved tennis because it was sociable,” Jack said.
Jack with granddaughter Melissa and great-granddaughter Else. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
As a doubles player, he was known as the bloke who camped at the net and kept saying “yours”.
But off the court at Griffith Tennis Club, he was the man who always put his hand up to help, even though he became the club’s groundskeeper at the turn of the century by accident.
“I was asked to fill in for a fortnight until they found someone to do it. Twenty-odd years later, I was still going,” he said.
Over that period, he did everything from fixing nets to rolling courts to stringing racquets to mowing the vast swathes of lawn across the club.
Jack with his assistant Amelia Date. Photo: supplied.
His Hillston-born wife Jean, who met Jack through tennis when they were both teenagers, says he’s just as busy at home. The pair have been married for 64 years.
“He does all the cooking, cleaning and washing up. He’s simply the best husband,” Jean said.
Jack was celebrated at a dinner with family and friends at the Griffith Northside Leagues last weekend.
Now aged 84, he was happy to continue doing the courts, but his kids urged him to pull up stakes. But he insists on continuing to string racquets.
“I’ll keep doing that until my fingers fall off,” he said.
Family and friends celebrate Jack’s career. Photo: supplied.
Jack also had a long career as a jack-of-all-trades at Murrumbidgee Irrigation. He has four children with Jean – Val, Stephen, Kim and Jason – all of whom played tennis, with Jason winning several titles over his career.
As a Dad, Jack also gave his kids great life advice.
“Dad always said to us, if you ever have a fight with your partner, always say sorry before you go to bed. Never go to sleep angry,” daughter Kim said.
Jack’s successor as Griffith tennis groundsman is Greg Wynne, who is also known for his loyalty – having recently retired after a 52-year career as a technician at PHL Surveyors.
