Legends of the Nepean GLadys ForNari

from Nepean News 21 April 2023 DIGITAL

Royce Simmons hits the road for Royce’s Big Walk

By Noel Rowsell

LAD y S Fornari (nee John) is turning 100 today (14th April) and will be celebrating the momentous occasion with family and friends on Saturday the 15th April at Dunheved Golf Club.

Born in 1923, just 4 weeks after her family moved to Australia, Gladys originally lived in Kurri Kurri, before moving to the Wollembi/yango area for the next 14 years.

Gladys attended yango PS, frequently driving her 3 younger siblings to school in the family sulky, after having completed the early morning chores of fetching fresh water from the creek and milking the cows.

She did not have a high school education, instead working as a housemaid after leaving primary school, before working at the Dunheved Munitions Factory during WW11, where she survived a potentially fatal electrocution on a production line.

GGladys married Silvio Fornari in 1946 at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, St Marys and they would live on a farm on Gipps Street, where Silvio worked as a market gardener on their own property until 1974, then built a home in Carpenter Street, St Marys. Sivio passed away in 1985.

Gladys was a member of the St Marys Band Club Social Golf Club, and also an A grade Tennis Player, before joining Dunheved Golf Club in 1969 as an Associate (Lady) member.

Over the ensuing 50 years, Gladys would win the Members Cup in 1988, the Associates (Ladies) Foursomes with Betty Mcnee in 1989, the Gold Medal in 1998, the Captain’s Cup in 2000 and score a hole-in-one on the 8th hole in 2005 (at 82 years of age).

She got down to a handicap of 17, and played both Ladies Pennants and Mixed Pennants, winning the Mixed Pennants 5 years in a row with Dunheved GC.

Gladys loved Dunheved GC and spent so much time at the club, her family once commented ‘Gladys is down at the Club so often, one day she will meet herself coming home’.

Whilst in her 80s, Gladys also took a strong fancy to dancing and a typical busy sport day would involve golf in the morning, home for a shower and fix her hair, then off to dancing in the night.

The onset of Covid in 2020, along with her deteriorating eyesight, late onset of rheumatics and the insertion of a pacemaker have been the final hurdles for Glady’s golf career, but she remains a devoted fan of the game and even has a practice putting mat in her kitchen.