Club Personalities
John Griffiths
Interest in chess for me started in the sixth grade at primary school. At the time, I didn’t know anything about chess, as at home my family only used to play cards and draughts. A German school friend, Peter Simon, my best mate, taught me to play on a small portable plastic chess peg board, he had a particularly good knowledge of the game.
However, there are only a limited number of good moves in draughts, chess gives you so many more choices. Including defence and attacking moves. I instantly became hooked.
Much later, in 2011, Ralph Wright, a friend of one of my sons, invited me to play with a group that Malcolm Hughes had formed in the Ocean Grove Neighbourhood Centre. Ever since and I have now been enjoying chess on a regular basis for over 11 years. It is a good game as it encourages people particularly the young as it is stimulating and a healthy mental challenging pastime.
The Club now meets at the Citizens Club in Ocean Grove. I also support Stan in promoting chess and coordinating the chess group activities there.
Gary Bennewitz
Gary is the club eldest and one of the most experience chess player at the club.
Born in Germany Gary was introduced to chess when he was 12 by a teacher who taught Chess to the whole class, organising competitions within the school to extend the interest and competition. As he grew older other competitive sports such as table tennis, Soccer filled his spare time.
He immigrated to Australia in his early twenties and with a lot of spare time while on the boat he began to play Social Chess with other fellow passengers and won a seriously big supply of Cigarettes!
Once in Australia, settling into a new life was a priority and the opportunities to enjoy a were few.
When Gary and family moved to Ballarat in the early 70’s His love and interest of Chess surged. He joined the local club and quickly become an active member its treasurer for many years. The Club offered Tournaments, as it was affiliated with the Australian Chess Federation that in turn was affiliated with the International Chess Federation.
The family then moved to Bacchus Marsh in late 70s for his work in Melbourne.
When he retired to Ocean Grove in mid 80s, he resumed a more active focus as he met kindred souls with an interest in chess through his regular Golf, Table Tennis and Tennis participation. They would meet at a local café, and he joined the newly established Ocean Grove Chess club with Malcom Hughes in 2007. Where he enjoyed supporting novice and younger players.
This involvement has continued to the new Covid present, and Gary still studies games provided by a friend from the weekend Australian. The Chess board remains ready on the Kitchen table and people still find their way to his home often to ‘have a game together. ‘He’s up for it, always, and that desire to play, be challenged, win and keep learning burns strongly as always.
Tom Nicholson
My older cousin, Arthur Robinson, when I was about 12 years old was the first person to teach me some chess moves.
I played socially until I started work at Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port in England. Back in the 1960s I joined the newly formed works chess club and we played in the Chester & District chess league. I became the captain of the Vauxhall section of the league.
After moving to Australia in 1970, I played a few times at the Geelong chess club and during lunch breaks at work at the Ford Geelong Engine & Casting Plant.
I stopped playing for several years, concentrating on other pastimes such as badminton and playing in folk music bands, etc.
I joined the Ocean Grove Chord Club, that's where I met Stan Rusiniak, as we had a common interest in chess, over time he gently persuaded me to join the Ocean Grove Chess Club. So, since 2019 I have been enjoying playing chess games there.
In 2021 as I am always beating him, Stan set up a Bellarine Peninsula inter club playoff between the Portarlington and Ocean Grove chess clubs, which surprisingly I won.
Ralph Wright
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The chess club was then led by Ralph Wright, a former chess student of Malcolm’s and a fellow schoolteacher, who joined the club in 2009. His passion for the game first developed when he learnt to play chess in Year 7 at Queenscliff High School. On his 13th birthday, his father gave him a wooden chess set which he still treasures today. As a secondary school teacher, Ralph began taking students to Geelong school chess tournaments in the 1990s. Several of his pupils have done well in local school chess tournaments.
He has worked at many Geelong school chess tournaments as assistant arbiter/coach. When Ralph is not playing chess, he is also a keen sportsman and involved in numerous sports, including cycle racing, canoe marathon, triathlon, and surf lifesaving, as a competitor, coach and official. Ralph received support and help from wonderful Julie Long in administration, with Stan Rusiniak and other members promoting the club in the local newspapers and displaying posters in the local and regional shopping districts and supermarkets.
Stan Rusiniak
Stan learnt the chess basics when he was 12 years whilst immigrating to Australia in 1960 on the P&O Strathmore from a fellow teenage traveller, 16-year Anthony Hughes. On his 16th birthday his Mum gave him his favourite Chess book was "An Invitation to Chess" a Faber publication.
He never then played much chess. However, whilst he was the Supplier Development Manager at Robert Bosch, in the early 1990’s, he reignited his interest in chess playing other staff members at lunchtime. After moving on to manage a French Auto Electronics company, he then again only played the occasional chess game.
On moving to Ocean Grove in 2015 with his wife Margaret, Stan joined the Ocean Grove Chess Club and meet up staunch club members John Griffiths, Gary Bennewitz. On retiring in 2018 he was asked to set up the Portarlington Chess Club there he meet Hugh Peters who now runs the St Leonards Chess Club.
At the Ocean Grove Chess Club Stan along with John Griffiths help Ralph in running the club. In 2021 Stan joined the Ocean Grove Citizens Club and is Committee member.
Stan believes in making chess a fun and an enjoyable experience no matter the skills level or if you win or lose.
John Corlett
I started moving chess pieces around when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My dad was a keen chess player and would set up the board for us to play without his queen and a castle. As I got older he brought the castle back and eventually his queen.
We lived in Liverpool UK and moved to Clubmoore/Norris Green in 1947. When I was eleven I started school at Roscoe Secondary Modern. The school chess champion there was a fifteen year old boy named Twist. He had been undisputed champ for three years and wasn't expecting much competition from an eleven year old snotty-nosed upstart. I can still see the startled look of disbelief on his face as I pushed his king down to the back line with the classic two castle checkmate.
The headmaster, Mr Beven summoned me to his office "to see the lad who had beaten Twist". My glory only lasted one year though as my best friend, who I had taught to play beat me in the final. The school was involved in inter school tournaments and I once played at Quarry Bank High School, John Lennon's school (Beatles fame). John was a year older than me, but I never met the great man.
I joined the Ocean Grove Chess Club earlier this year 2021 and I just love the camaraderie and friendly spirit of the club.
Serge Corbeil
Serge Corbeil has recently joined the Ocean Grove Chess Club and has already shown to be an enthusiastic player.
He began playing chess as a kid and have been playing on and off ever since including at the Geelong chess club. He also had had the opportunity to participate in chess tournaments across Victoria and despite modest results it has been great fun.
Serge who has recently retired from the work force and have more time to spend on important things in life such as studying and playing chess.
I am very happy to join a group of friendly chess players at the OG club where the atmosphere is relaxed yet the players are keen and competitive.
He is looking forward to some exciting challenges over the board.
Tony French
Tony French started playing chess when he was 12 years old at school in the UK. A senior student at the school taught him the game, how to set up the board. He then joined the school chess team and the team played other schools in Leicestershire. Continued playing for a couple of years against a couple of relatives. Stopped playing chess when I left school at 16 and join the Navy and came to Australia in 1973.
Tony play extraordinarily little chess until he joined the Aussie Army in 1976, were he managed to play some games with the other troops during basis training.
The Army posted me to Queenscliff in the late eighty’s and left I eventually moved to Ocean Grove and John Griffiths was my neighbour and we played chess for a couple of years prior to him moving to Leopold.
John invited ne to join the OG club when I retired in 2021.
Nick McClaren
My brother, five years older than myself, taught me the basics of chess on our bedroom floor. He learned to play from one of the “Know the Game Chess” book. I suspect he only took the time to teach me so as to have an opponent.
I was about eight years old at the time and began playing lunch time games in the primary school yard and later in high school during special activities sessions. I attended the weekly competitions for various primary schools run by the Adelaide chess club. Later, I was runner-up in an informal school competition, being beaten by a player five years older than me.
I came back to chess more recently playing sometimes at the Geelong Chess Club and even more recently at the Ocean Grove Chess Club.
Tony Desira
Alf's Zientek
Peter Walsh
Tony Desira came to Australia in 1955 from Malta, he did not speak any English, but he quickly got the hang of it as his mate got him a job selling newspapers at the corner of Victoria and Burnley streets in Richmond. He also taught him the basic chess moves. When Tony was about fourteen, he joined the Glenroy Tech. Chess Club and there he really started to enjoy playing the much better lads.
When Tony started work as a Surveyor with the Department of the Interior, he would play chess during our lunch break in the station wagons with a magnetic chess board. The games became really serious, and their lunch breaks got a little longer than our allowed one hour.
He taught his two sons how to play chess and to this day they still cannot’ beat him unless he fakes a loss to keep them happy. Tony is a keen walker and rides his bike around the beautiful Bellarine region. Tony used to breed aviary birds, such as Budgies, Finches, and Canaries. Unfortunately, he barracks for the Mighty Pies
Tony joined the Ocean Grove Citizens in 2021 and he enjoys playing chess with Stan and the rest of the gang and chatting with all club members.
Alf Zientek Snr
Through Alf’s Snr love of chess, he made many friends. The things Alf’s loved in life were his family, friends and chess, and his family, friends and chess all loved Alf. Table Tennis player, lover of classical music, and an Class A chess player. Alf was a member of the Ocean Grove Chess Club for 8 years.
The photo show Alf Snr pondering over his next move against his son Alf Jnr.
In memory of Alphons (Alf Snr) Zientek
15-11-1931 - 27-01 2022
Alf Zientek Jnr
I started playing at family get together with dad, uncles, and cousins around 9 years old. Started playing at high school as well in year 8 which was form 2 in those days. We thought we were all reasonable players. As we progressed then realised, we were below average. But persistence and frequency of playing we showed much improvement to where we are or aren't today
Peter was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia to Hilda and Charles Augustus Walsh. Peter graduated from Christ Church Grammar School and the University of Western Australia where he enjoyed rowing, surfing and track and field. Peter followed his passion for teaching where he taught in secondary schools in Perth, London, England, Montreal and Vancouver, Canada. Peter really enjoyed playing and competing in rowing, rugby, tennis road cycling and of course Chess.
Peter retired to Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia until his passing.
In memory of Peter Henry Walsh
19 April 1943 – 14 January 2022
