The Lane Cove Golf Club has informed In the Cove that Margaret Tanner, of Riverview, passed away peacefully at the age of 104.
She was the beloved wife of Noel (deceased), the loving mother of Robert, and sister of Alice Nagle (deceased) and Robert Power (deceased). She was much loved by all her family, the Lane Cove Golfing community, friends and neighbours.
Margaret was a remarkable woman who will be sorely missed and always holds a special place in the Lane Cove Community.
Margaret was a foundation member of the Lane Cove Country Club. She was part of the crew that built the golf course with both her hands and financial support, and she proudly became the first member to tee off in a competition at the Lane Cove Golf Course in 1964.
Margaret always maintained a positive attitude. In 1997, Margaret scored a hole in one on the sixth hole at the Lane Cove Country Club—an impressive achievement many golfers aspire to.
She continued to play competitive golf until the age of 99, earning the title of the oldest registered player in NSW. Remarkably, she walked the entire nine holes with the help of her trusty motorized buggy (note: a buggy, not a golf cart).
In her honour, the Lane Cove Golf Club will continue to award the Margaret Tanner Trophy for women over 70.
In 1999, In the Cove had the pleasure of interviewing Margaret.
Margaret’s Life in Lane Cove (and when a part of Lane Cove was renamed Riverview)
Margaret and her son moved to Lane Cove in 1950, shortly after her husband’s death, due to a war-related illness.
Lane Cove was a logical choice since her parents-in-law lived in Greenwich, and her sister resided in Willoughby. Greenwich held a special place in her heart, as she met her husband at the Greenwich Sailing Club.
As a war widow, she worked hard to support her son despite limited government assistance. While her son was young, she worked from home typing reports. Once he started school at Lane Cove Public School, she worked part-time and later secured a full-time job in the city, staying with the same accounting firm for 30 years.
Every day, Margaret would travel to the city on the 295 bus, a double-decker that travelled down River Road and through Greenwich. It was common for passengers to hop off the bus at the River Road/Greenwich School stop and walk up the hill, reboarding once the bus made its way up the steep incline. Margaret recalled to ITC one incident when a double-decker bus turned over on River Road West, near the bend by Bridge Street.
In 1958, Margaret began playing golf at the Lane Cove Golf Club, which was then located in Riverview (where the St. Ignatius junior campus is now situated). A few years later, the club closed to allow the construction of the junior campus. By this time, Margaret had developed a passion for golf and was determined to continue playing. She would walk a mile to catch the bus to Northbridge Golf Course for several years.
In addition to golf, she made sure she:
- Walked every day
- Volunteered once a week at the Glaucoma Association
- Attended yoga classes at St. Columbus
- Kept up her gardening (she provides the blooms for the ladies’ golf functions at the Lane Cove Country Club)
Margaret was also a member of Legacy, served as Vice President, and is a life member of the War Widows’ Association.
Here are just some other highlights of a packed life:
- In 1932 she witnessed the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Harbour Bridge;
- She worked as a pink lady at Concord Hospital;
- In the 1970’s the Lane Cove Country Club was experiencing financial difficulties – Margaret and other members lent the club funds. She is a member for life.
In 2019 the following story appeared in the Lane Cove Golf Clubs Link newsletter – showing how amazing Margaret is:
Sunday 6th May was a beautifully sunny day, and Margaret Tanner, one of the original members of our Club, set out to play 9 holes in the Ladies’ Comp. All was going well, till on the 6th hole, her buggy started to roll down the hill. Her playing partners, Margaret Collins and Margo Vaughan, yelled, ”Fore! Fore! Look out for the buggy!” As you would, Margaret chased it, till it ended up all the way down the hill, in the hazard. Then, as you would, she decided to go down into the hazard to retrieve it, disappearing very quickly from her worried partners’ view. They were extremely relieved to see her clamber back out, but not, alas, with the buggy. Then along came three good Samaritans…….. Club member Peter Siapos, together with Daniel and Graham, who managed to pull the buggy out of the hazard. Miraculously, it seemed to be okay, but..uh oh.. the battery was missing. So the Samaritans went down again, to slosh around in the water to retrieve the battery. Surprisingly, though it was dripping wet, it worked perfectly and Margaret was able to finish her nine holes. The only thing she lost was her sand bucket! Picture shows the unfazed, unsinkable Margaret checking her card at the end of her incident-filled round. And what will this remarkable lady do in just a few days, on 8 May? SHE WILL TURN 98 YEARS OF AGE! Happy birthday Margaret. Yep. We wanna be like her!
During the COVID lockdown, Margaret turned 100. Her neighbours did everything they could to celebrate the occasion while socially distancing themselves. There were balloons, flowers, a tiara, and more.
In 2022, Margaret nominated Christopher Butcher for a Lane Cove Neighbour award for the help he gave her. He mowed her lawns, put out the garbage bins and generally kept an eye on her and her property.
Margaret Tanner was also interviewed for the 100 Project – watch the video below.
Margaret, you will be truly missed, and ITC is delighted we could play a little part in your life by sharing your achievements.
Family and friends of Margaret are warmly invited to attend
A Celebration Of Life Service to be held on
Tuesday 18 March 2025,
at 1:15 pm in the
North Chapel of Northern Suburbs Crematorium,
199 Delhi Road,
North Ryde.
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