Tribute to Bob Burley
Leave your tributes or memories of Bob Burley
by emailing: sally.fairbrother@archant.co.uk
12-7-2007
TRIBUTES have been pouring in for East Devon Golf Club secretary Bob Burley, who has died.
Bob, from Newton Poppleford, was born in Blyth in 1942 and moved to Devon soon after with his family.
Educated at Newton Abbot Grammar School, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17, rising up through the ranks to become Lieutenant Commander at his retirement in 1992.
When he was commissioned he became a physical training officer and between 1976 and 1979 was the officer in charge of the Royal Navy Display Team based at Portsmouth.
There he trained his team in the traditional arts of cutlass swinging, mast climbing and window ladder displays – all disciplines which required demanding and intricate teamwork.
Bob was also responsible for training the Royal Naval Display Team which performed at the Queen’s Jubilee.
One of his more unusual appointments was training the WRNS Hornpipe team, who later appeared on television on the Generation Game.
Proficient in a number of sports, Bob’s skill on the field meant he regularly represented the Royal Navy at both soccer and rugger – which was no mean feat.
Sport prowess aside, Bob was also a talented cartoonist and artist.
When he turned 40 he took up the game of golf and, being the gifted sportsman he was, soon had a single-figure handicap.
Such was his love for the game, when he retired from the Navy he decided to go into golf management, taking up the position of secretary-manager at Whitchurch Golf Club, near Cardiff.
Later he became secretary-manager at Truro.
When in 1997 the post of secretary became vacant at East Devon Golf Club, Bob applied and was quickly snapped up by a committee who recognised his sporting achievements would be an asset to its members.
A combination of Bob’s disciplined efficiency, charm and a sharp sense of humour resulted in a winning combination and long-standing partnership between the golf club and its secretary.
Friend and fellow golf player the Reverend Roy Henderson said: “We all appreciated the welcoming friendliness of his office when he was in charge. He treated every section of the club with equal courtesy and consideration.
“He was also able to play the odd game of golf and I know how much pleasure this gave him.”
Bob leaves his wife, Sue, sons Lee and Mark, his mother Anne, sister Pat and brother Harold.
READERS' TRIBUTES
Bob was my older brother and a better friend and brother would i'm sure be hard to find. We grew up in the countryside and spent all our childhood playing in the fields and at the beach. It was a lovely time in our lives and i have a lot to thank Bob for. He always looked out for me and I was always very proud of him as I am to this day, I shall miss him greatly he was someone I could always rely on in times of trouble. Goodbye Bob sleep well.
Kim Burley
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