An email from TTNZ:
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Welcome to the second web-notice from the Stag WVC2014 website.> We have just published full registration lists as at 26th February and invite you to check your own details. This is what will be printed in the programme, and on your participation diploma and accreditation pass. Some entrants have included middle names, which is not necessary. We may have to exclude these when we print, for space issues, but you can also amend yourself. You can now look for a suitable doubles partner if required. Those that have not achieved a closed doubles pairing (both partners confirming each other's registration number and both being fully paid) by March 18th will be placed on a 'partners required' list to be forwarded to Swaythling Club to assign pairings. These pairings will be confirmed and published around April 10th. The singles draw and schedules will be published on this website around April 30th. Remember that registrations close on March 15th. So please tell all of your friends who might wish to enter, and anyone who might wish to volunteer their services. Anyone wanting to enter or help out should register here. Please make sure that your entry You can also book tickets for the Gala Dinner / Farewell If you still require accommodation or official transportation please book via Event Travel Office. If you need invitations to assist visa applications, please contact us as soon as possible. We want to make sure you get here for all the fun! Please make sure that you arrive at Trusts Arena in good time to complete accreditation (at very least 1 hour before you play) and pick up your accreditation pass, player number, programme, gala dinner tickets and Stag accreditation pack. Make sure you have your registration number and photo ID (passport or drivers license) ready to present. Remember that the opening ceremony will commence at 6pm on Sunday 11th. This can provide the opportunity for special interest groups to meet up before-hand. Please email us if you wish to request and promote a gathering. We look to seeing your smiling faces here in May! Regards |
Nha was born in Saigon (1942) in Vietnam as the fourth of seven children. He started swimming at age 5 and excelled in the freestyle sprints. However there was a table tennis table at his home and he started playing at age 10 with his brothers, where he developed his trademark blocking style. These were his main sports though he also played tennis as an adult.
After gaining university entrance at high school he passed the entrance exam to study education at Saigon University (1959-63). He graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Education. He was the Captain of the swimming team and won the 100 and 200 freestyle at the University Swimming Championships (1959-63). He represented the University at the South Vietnam University Sports Tournament.
Also at the University was Inh Van Le, the Captain of the table tennis team, who was to represent South Vietnam in table tennis. Inh was to win the Southeast Asian Games Men’s Singles (1967) and Men’s Doubles (1969) and was runner up in the Men’s Doubles (1973). He was also a Men’s Doubles bronze medallist at the 1962 Asian Games with his brother Tiet Van Le, who was the French Open Singles Champion (1959) and was in the South Vietnam Men’s Team that won Gold (1958 Asian Games) and Bronze (1959 World Championships). Inh Van Le moved to Australia and is a table tennis coach and top veteran player, winning 36 Australian Individual Veteran Titles (1993-2013).
After university Nha attended teachers college for 4 years and then taught English at high school. He married in 1974 and in 1975 he was selected as a Columbo Plan student (12 from South Vietnam) and came to New Zealand to study English at Victoria University, Wellington. Three months after he left, South Vietnam was defeated in the war by North Vietnam. Nha became stateless and unable to return home but was given permanent resident in New Zealand by the Government and become a New Zealand Citizen the following year. After his course, Nha found work at the Department of Social Welfare. His wife and son finally managed to leave Vietnam and arrived in New Zealand in early 1979. Nha purchased a dairy in Hawker Street and was there for 3 years before moving to the Austin Street Dairy (1982-2009) before retiring.
Nha started playing table tennis at the Titan Club (1975) and his University A Team (with Huy Hoang and R Clark) won the Wellington Table Tennis A Reserve Grade (1978). In 1980 his Titan Team (with Adrian Lust, Warren Mak, Lindsay Ward) won the Wellington A Grade Competition. Nha was also in the Titan Terriors Team (with Lindsay Ward, Harry Singh, Robert Chung) that won Premier 1 in 2007.
Nha was ranked 11 times on the Wellington Men’s list and achieved a best ranking of 5 (2001) and represented Wellington at the New Zealand Championships and Veterans Championships in the veterans team. In 2008 Wellington, Eddie Moore and Nha, lost to North Harbour 2-3 in the Over 65 Men’s Team Final after earlier beating them 4-1 in group play. Nha won several veterans tournament singles titles including the Wanganui Over 40, Hutt Valley Open Over 50, Wellington Autumn Open Over 60 and Wellington Open Over 50 & 60. With Lindsay Ward, Nha won 15 veterans doubles tournament titles including 5 consecutive Wellington Open Over 40 Doubles (1998-2002).
Nha no longer plays interclub table tennis but still attends the Titan Club on Sunday mornings. He also walks, swims, plays tennis and snooker. His Petone snooker team was runner up in the Wellington Working Men’s Competition (2012). He hopes to continue playing table tennis for a very long time!
My thanks to Kent Yu from http://www.kentyuphotography.com for editing the photo of Nha and Win (see above).
-Malcolm Wong
Notices for the upcoming Summer Interclub are on their way out and details are below. Let your club contact know that you are available to play! The 7-week summer competition with 2-player teams is a good opportunity to bring in a friend or two from the past who might not have played for a few years.
In a nutshell:
- 2-player teams entered by clubs
- 7pm for 7 Wednesdays from March 5 until April 16.
- 5-match format to 11 with singles best of 7 and doubles best-of-5.
- Flat fee $7/player.
- Entries to be submitted by clubs in (to me) please by Feb 26.
- Players help your club out by helping wrangle your friends together and pass on the names to your club contact.
Composite teams (players from separate clubs in the same team) are fine just be sure to have both clubs know about the team and have it be entered by one of the clubs. (Check with your club contact.)
The full 2014 TTW Summer Interclub Entry Form is here as a doc or a pdf.
Location: here.
