Trampers reunite for ping pong success

They used to tramp together, and now Brian Renwick and Lawrie Halkett are blazing new paths in table tennis.

The Richmond pair represented Nelson at the inaugural Ping Pong Parkinson’s Championships in Palmerston North and swept their division, winning two golds and a silver medal.

Ping Pong Parkinson’s is the worldwide brand name for the movement which encourages sufferers of the disease to take up table tennis.

Brian was diagnosed with symptoms three years ago with tremors coming more and more often in his legs, although his tramping mates questioned whether he was really sure he had Parkinson’s.

“I took that as a compliment,” the former New Zealand Navy marine officer says.

Once he started the weekly table tennis sessions at the start of this year, he realised how beneficial they were in terms of movement and concentration.

The 69-year-old was full of confidence heading to the nationals, which were part of the Manawatu Table Tennis Open.

“Despite the toes of my right foot clenching and a slight tremor in my right arm, I really only felt the symptoms between games,” Brian reveals.

After winning five matches, he prevailed over Lawrie in the singles final.

He then combined with the 75-year-old to win the doubles as well.

“The organisers thought we were a couple of burglars, coming up to their tournament and taking the titles,” Brian laughs.

It was a reunion of sorts for the Richmond pair as they had been on tramping trips more than 15 years ago.

They had both played table tennis as teenagers and then given it away for outdoor pursuits.

Lawrie, a former president of the Nelson Tramping Club, remembers playing table tennis with his three brothers on the kitchen table.

“They had incredible endurance during their matches and that probably goes back to their tramping times,” Table Tennis Nelson president Anna King notes.

She hopes their success will attract more locals to their Saxton Oval base which has had up to 13 people playing.

Anna also reckons Nelson would be an ideal spot to host next year’s Ping Pong Parkinson’s national tournament, especially as it is staging the New Zealand Table Tennis Championships for the first time later this month.