Nigel Perry honoured with national award

Peter Jones

Marlborough sporting stalwart Nigel Perry has received national recognition for his life-long contribution to tennis and table tennis in the province.

On Saturday Nigel was guest of honour at an afternoon tea where he was presented with a lifetime achievement award from Tennis New Zealand.

Peter Maciaszek from Tennis New Zealand’s Board of Directors was on hand to present TNZ’s prestigious Te Tohu Hāpai Award to the 93-year-old.

It is not the first honour that has come Nigel’s way recently. In this year’s New Year’s Honours he was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for his service to the community.

In particular, Nigel was recognised for his contribution to tennis, table tennis, and road safety. Nigel has been involved with tennis in Marlborough since 1947.

He is a life member of the Marlborough Tennis Association, the Marlborough Tennis Club and the Marlborough Veterans Club. He is also the Patron of those organisations.

In 2017 he received the Marlborough Medal (a prestigious award with only one presented per annum) at the Marlborough Sports Awards.

As well as serving in a variety of roles on various committees, he has been deeply involved in officiating in Marlborough. Throughout the 1970s he encouraged, guided, coached and examined many of Marlborough’s top juniors to become Tennis New Zealand badge umpires.

Nigel is still a passionate photographer, attending local representative fixtures, tournaments, and the annual prize-giving so that Marlborough has an extensive pictorial record of tennis in the region.