Photography: Kellie Blizard.
For the past 10 summers, Shelagh Coop has donned a black cap, slipped an ID lanyard around her neck and kept her eye on the ball to become a “pseudo-grandma” to world-class tennis stars. She’s the ASB Classic tournament’s most senior volunteer – just don’t ask her age – who isn’t necessarily there for the action on centre court in Auckland. Her ethos is simple: she just wants to be useful and make people smile.
“I’m fully aware that I’m an older woman and people might think, ‘What is she doing here?’” tells Shelagh. “But it isn’t the years in your life that matter – it’s your attitude towards life. I don’t go for the tennis prowess. I go for the atmosphere and camaraderie – that’s the joy for me.”
“Everyone’s so interested to be there and I quite enjoy looking at what people are wearing, particularly the young women. And it’s easy for me to catch a bus at the top of my road, which drops me off near the Manuka Doctor Arena.”
Eloquent and witty, British-born Shelagh does everything from greeting spectators and making sure they’re on the right court to working in the merchandise tent.
“Last year, I was based on the staircase, where the players came down from the lounge to practise, so I talked to Caroline Wozniacki, which was lovely. (The Danish superstar has played seven times in Auckland.) “And there were two very nice young male players from Moldova, who, every time they saw me, would give me a big hug. I think I’m a pseudo-grandma for some of them.
“I played tennis at school, but I was crummy at it – my hand and eye didn’t coordinate. So in my next life, I want to come back as a tennis player!”
Growing up in London during World War II, service to others was instilled in Shelagh from a young age. Volunteering was viewed as a way of life and she saw how small actions could improve someone else’s situation. While her father was too old to be conscripted, he volunteered for St John Ambulance. Following the many bomb blasts, he was in a team that would secure the building and treat the wounded.
“When I was younger, I had a nasty experience, which I won’t go into, but the Good Samaritans in England were very helpful to me, so I vowed I would give back some day,” shares Shelagh, who began volunteering in a children’s hospital when she was a teenager and joined the Red Cross.
In later years, she became a Lifeline counsellor and Treasurer for the National Council of Women of New Zealand. She explains, ‘I’ve always wanted to give back to the community. It’s who I was made to be. I donated blood for years until I got breast cancer in my fifties, and then they no longer allowed me to.”
On the morning of the Weekly’s interview, Shelagh volunteered at Auckland Hospital, a routine she has followed every week for the past 20 years. She began volunteering after the University of Auckland made her redundant from her job in the engineering library.
“I was looking around for something to do and the hospital was calling for volunteers,” tells the grandmother-of-three. She went to university for the first time in her forties and gained a Master’s degree in English literature.
When her Kiwi husband Geoff died in 2006, and with her two sons Alan and Michael living abroad. Donating her time to others also helped with her own wellbeing and social connection. One of Shelagh’s favourite organisations is the University of the Third Age (u3a.nz). Which taps the great reservoir of knowledge, skills and experience of retired men and women. There are numerous U3A groups throughout New Zealand.
“It began in France by retired academics who found that people over 65 still have a lot of knowledge about various things,” explains the spry senior. “And it’s beneficial for us to exchange that knowledge, whether it’s music, history, science or current affairs. In Auckland, we have about 13 groups and I run a play-reading group.”
She says they usually meet in one another’s homes. Along with a group meeting once a month at Parnell Community Centre, which includes a speaker and morning tea.
“It’s a marvellous way of making friends and keeping your mind active,” she enthuses. “Our oldest member is 96 and we have all kinds of people, from doctors and dentists to architects.”
The ASB Classic runs from December 28 to January 11. For more information, visit asbclassic.co.nz
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