TONY AND EVE AJDUK

November 17, 2010

When Tony Ajduk walked into Kalamunda Bowling Club forty five years ago for a roll up with a mate it was to be the start of a forty five year association with bowls, forty three of them at the hills club.

The only player at Kalamunda to win singles titles in five different decades, Ajduk's name appears on the honour board many times, with eight pairs championships featuring highly.

It's a far cry from the twelve year old boy who arrived at Fremantle wharf in 1938. Tony Ajduk was four months old when his father left the village near Makarska in Croatia in his search for a better life for his family in Australia. Two months later his mother died, leaving the youngster in the care of his grandparents.

At the age of twelve Tony made the six week boat trip to Australia, speaking no English, and arrived on Australian soil to be greeted by his stepmother, who was just ten years his senior. He was also met by Joe Zekulich who was his mother's cousin. He still sees Joe, who is 103. This was followed by a train ride to Kalgoorlie.

A year in the Goldfields was followed by a move to a vineyard in Greenmount, then an orchard in Maida Vale. Less than average schooling was no hindrance to Tony. Hard work was always his forte', and after a few jobs as a teenager a family friend, who was a stonemason, asked Tony to come and work with him. He taught him the trade and shared the profits. When the friend retired, Tony continued in the trade, eventually moving into the concrete business and also starting a small building company.

He was smart enough to see the money to be made in land development, and some smart investments enabled him to retire at fifty two. In the Swan Valley, the immigrants moved in the same circles and shared social lives, and it was in this environment over time that Ajduk met Eve, and the pair later married. They celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary recently.

Tony Ajduk never let financial success colour his ethics. A man whose handshake was his word, his generosity to employees was well known, and he maintained an attitude of compassion to those who didn't have a lot. A shrewd businessman, who was always aware when a dollar was there to be made, he was always honest in his dealings.

Winning his first club singles in 1968 after just three years in the game, Ajduk came under the notice of the strong Cockburn club, who invited him to play with them. "I saw this as an opportunity to try myself out in the best company," he recalled. Playing third in pennants for Milan Bacich, Tony won the Cockburn club pairs with Matt Turkich, and topped that with a champion of champion pairs win.

It was while at Cockburn that he played in a State Second Side against New South Wales, two of his team mates being the Cottesloe pair, Stan McCann and Jack Camm.

Returning to Kalamunda after two years, Ajduk went on to win a Masters Fours with Gordon Innes, Rod Wishart, and Peter Coyle.

But his best memories are with son Geoff. Although Coyle, Geoff and Tony were runners up in two State Triples in a row, it's the Invitational Bunbury Mazda Pairs with Geoff that remains Tony Ajduk's most treasured memory in bowls.

----------Geoff and Tony having their pic taken before the State Triples final


A Lindsay Rosenthal Medalist and State player, a man who the late Peter Sardelic described as the best leader he'd seen, Geoff Ajduk was tragically taken from us at the age of thirty eight.

In the year that Geoff won the Champion of Champions singles, Tony, playing with the late Matt Turkich won the Champion of Champion Pairs.

Tony found it hard to separate many fine bowlers as hardest to get over, but foremost were Sardelic, Geoff Oakley and Steve Shroy, adding: " You can beat a champ maybe once in five but class usually tells."

"I wouldn't have met half a dozen people in bowls that I wouldn't like to play with," he said. "I've had a great time, with terrific people."

On the game today, he said the greatest thing was the number of younger players in the top echelons of bowls. "When I started at forty I was about the youngest around, and Geoff was the youngest to win the Rosenthal."

Tony is still very active, giving his time to voluntary help organizations and enjoying fishing. He has been back to Croatia four times, but his family is his life, and he is in his element with son Anthony, daughter Trish , and he and Eve's grandchildren and great grandchildren which number nine and eight respectively.

These days Ajduk is happy putting them down in second or third division. "I'm getting too old." Chatting to him, you could be excused for thinking he was half his age. The boy from the village has done well.


RON HEAD