Athletics Australia – NEWS – Jenkins and Jenes recognised in Australian honours list

Athletics Australia is delighted with the recognition recorded to long serving volunteers and a Paralympian in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Two of the sport’s most respected contributors, Life Governors Ronda Jenkins and Paul Jenes have been recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia. The two Victorians have been outstanding devotees to athletics at state, national and international level over more than four decades.

Both began their sporting lives as athletes, before taking on a range of roles including the important duties as National Records Officer and National Statistician respectively.

Brunswick’s Ms Jenkins was a national level sprinter, whose track career coincided with those of the likes of Raelene Boyle and Pam Ryan.

Over more than twenty years, her determination to ensure every eligible record is submitted, checked and ratified has been a comfort to athletes and fellow administrators alike. At the same time, her approach has always been such that she has never allowed an irrelevant technicality to prevent an athlete from having his or her achievement recognised.

However even her dedication as the Victorian and Australian records officer pales in significance when compared with her commitment and delivery of some of the other, again always voluntary, roles she has taken on in the sport.

Her devotion to the Brunswick Athletic Club is quite extraordinary – her inclusive nature always ensuring there are plenty of hands willing to assist in administration, officiating and coaching at the club.

As Competition Secretary for almost every national championship meet held in Australia for decades, Ronda’s performance has been incredible. As an extension of these roles Ronda served as Technical Information Centre Assistant Manager at the 1996 World Junior Championships, the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as TIC Manager for the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Melbourne in 2001 and as Competition Secretary/Administration Manager for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.  

Each of these was a critical role, requiring not only the intricate planning and attention to detail for which Ronda is renowned but also excellent interpersonal skills and patience in dealing with team managers and coaches from all visiting teams.

In each case, the feedback from the controlling international body included immense praise for Ronda and her team.

She is remarkably thoughtful of others, and does much to ensure that those working with her are able to enjoy her sport as much as she does, characteristics which have also been to the fore in her voluntary work for the Epworth Hospital.

Mr Jenes, who lives in Warrandyte, has been the lead Australian contributor in his key field of statistics for more than thirty years. Throughout the period he has undertaken his responsibilities with diligence, accuracy and an undying commitment to the sport.

Ranking lists are the information lifeblood of a sport such as athletics, which depend so much on statistics for recognition of performances, Paul’s reputation as a rigorous and thoroughly investigative statistician is complemented by his equally strong commitment to fairness.

Paul’s long periods of service as Honorary Statistician for both AA and Athletics Victoria have included a strong willingness to provided support and tutoring for others interested in the field of work.  

He has also been prominent as a historian and has ever demonstrated a preparedness to ensure appropriate historical records of the sport are preserved. Paul researched and wrote the official centenary history of Athletics Australia – Lanes of Gold, Fields of Green.

As a selector and then as chairman of selectors for AA, Paul was relentless in ensuring athletes seeking to represent Australia at the highest level were treated fairly. His battles with ‘not so willing’ administrators seeking to keep team numbers small, have become legendary, Paul’s never give up attitude often resulted in more athletes than would otherwise have been the case, earning the opportunity to represent.

As chairman of selectors, Paul was the first to introduce detailed selection criteria, so that athletes and their coaches, had a clearer idea as to what they were required to do in order to win selection.

At grassroots level, Paul has been a great contributor to and supporter of his clubs, particularly Ringwood AC. In his profession as a teacher, he encouraged countless youngsters into a variety of sports and assisted in the organisation of many carnivals and team competitions both within his own schools and in the inter school environment.

As an athletics technical official, Paul has also contributed at all levels, including at the 1982 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 1985 World Cup and the 1996 World Junior Championships, along with countless national championships and other major events.

Paul has also acted as a radio and television commentator in athletics, also being appointed as a crew statistician for a number of Olympic and Commonwealth Games telecasts. In 2000 he was elected as President of ATFS, the international professional body of track and field statisticians – a measure of his standing in the field, given the majority of the membership is European based.

Both Ronda and Paul have previously been recognised with the sports highest honours – the AA Merit Award, Life Membership of Athletics Victoria and Life Governorship of Athletics Australia, as well as the Australian Sports Medal.

The 2009 Queen’s Birthday list also recognised the contributions to athletics of South Australian distance running and school sport identity, Trevor Wiseman and three New South Welshmen, national technical official, Ron Richter and local administrators and judges Ron Keys and Darryl Channells each of whom was awarded an OAM.

2000 Paralympic dual bronze medallist and 2006 INAS World 400 champion, Andrew Newell was also acknowledged with the Medal.

Courtesy of Brian Roe

Athletics Australia – NEWS