Yarra Junction Bowls Club mourns Joy Britton

Joy Britton as the runner-up VLBA State Singles Championship 1986-1987.

By Jed Lanyon

Yarra Junction Bowling Club is mourning the death of a club legend.

Joy Primrose Britton, aged 94, passed away peacefully on 10 April.

Born on February 10 1925, Joy was a well-known and loved sporting identity within the Yarra Valley.

She played tennis and badminton for Seville, as well as golf, but she starred at lawn bowls.

Joy joined the Yarra Junction Bowling club in the 1960s and from 1969 to 2005 she was the club champion in 29 out of 36 years.

She had the honour of captaining the Yarra Junction team in 1989 when it won the state four.

Joy represented Victoria on seven occasions and in 1998 was the Victorian Country Champion and the state singles runner-up.

She served as the president and was inducted as a life member of the Yarra Junction Bowling Club in 1991.

Joy was a great friend to many members and was respected as a great bowler, leader and person.

She loved to nurture new members to the club and her leadership values were treasured as a coach.

Joy worked with her husband on their orchard in Seville.

She was the mother to three children, 17 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

Joy’s funeral service was held at the Heritage Pioneers Chapel in Woori Yallock on Wednesday 17 April.