MMGCC's new kid on the block: Ross Percy
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Profile No. 5 Ross Percy is the newest member of the Monday Morning Gentleman’s Coffee Club after being invited to join the ‘select’ group of retired golfers in September.
Ross was born in 1949 and attended primary school in Wangaratta and, while his dad began his working life as a fitter and turner, he went on to teach at several technical colleges across Victoria, including Sandringham Technical College.
Since joining the group, Ross has discovered that he and John Capp have more than golf in common.
In fact, both attended the same school, but at different times. Yet their common interests did not stop there.
As a young boy, Ross played a somewhat obscure sport in Australia at the time: baseball.
He loved it, played competition for Sandringham and found it offered a practice opportunity for cricket during the off-season.
John Capp also played baseball for Sandringham, albeit a few years earlier.
“It was quite eerie to learn that John had finished Tech school and played baseball at Sandringham years before I did,” he said.
With dad headmaster at Morwell, Ross completed years 11 and 12 before studying for a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Yallourn Technical College.
He was awarded a studentship, which offered him a placement at Melbourne University where he completed third and fourth year in a block exemption to gain his degree while he secured some industrial experience with CIRO at Aspendale studying atmospheric physics.
He then spent 12 months at Toorak Teachers' College to gain the skills required to tackle the world of teaching at 24 years of age.
Ross’s interest in golf began at the age of 16 when a mate who lived near Royal Melbourne Golf Club asked if he would like to give it a go.
Possessing good eye-hand co-ordination, he seemed a natural. He was good at baseball, cricket and tennis, why not golf.
While baseball was his first preference, his summer sport of tennis came a close second, followed by golf.
Ross had many country placements teaching maths and chemistry and was fortunate to be offered a position at Cobram Secondary College in 1990, where he remained until his retirement in 2004.
The beautiful 36-hole golf course at Barooga was a huge delight for Ross and it was not long before he was to show off his sporting prowess.
In 1991, a year after he arrived in town, he captured the Cobram-Barooga Men’s Golf Championship and won the Cobram Tennis Club Men’s Singles Championship.
From then on, Ross Percy’s name regularly featured in club events at Cobram-Barooga, including partnering with Ray Findlay (also an MMGCC member) in the club's foursomes, which the pair won several times.
During his peak playing years, Ross played with a handicap of one, generally between two and four.
Today, he plays only occasionally yet has maintained a single-figure handicap of eight.
Not a bad effort for a man in his 75th year.
Ross played pennant for many years and County Week, but never gained selection in the Goulburn Valley team.
“Players such as Terry Vogel, Paul Ranson and Geoff Devine were just too good to oust at that period,” recalled Ross.
Ross played in the Seniors competition after he retired, particularly enjoying the VGA Doug Bacchli scratch event contested over 12 months, which he went on to win four times.
Ross was to gain selection over a period of years in a 12-member Australian team competing against New Zealand, much like the Ryder Cup.
It was based on collective results for four-ball, foursomes and individual scores.
“We defeated NZ more times than they beat us,” recalled Ross.
While his time out on the fairways is rare today, Ross thoroughly enjoys the mateship formed with other MMGCC members.
“It’s great bouncing stories off each other. They are an interesting bunch of blokes, and we have a common bond, our interest in golf, which generates lots of discussion and banter,” he said.
Ross has three children who have inherited his sporting ability: his son with golf and his daughter with tennis.
Elder son Cameron turned professional in 1998 and has been playing the lucrative PGA circuit for the past 10-12 years.
Recently turning 50, Cameron has qualified for the Champions Tour, playing a range of different courses throughout the US against senior players.
Daughter Elodie is a teacher with three children, and the family lives at Pakenham Upper, while younger son Ryan is the father to two children and plays golf from a handicap of scratch or one and is an accountant living at Warragul.
There was no Plan B for Taneeka
From a young age Taneeka Corso was determined to become a veterinarian.
There was no Plan B.
It was her life’s dream and she would achieve it.
Born in Cobram, she is a product of her environment, the joy of living and going to school in a small town where people knew her and she knew them and she made many friends before heading off to university after sitting for her VCE.
The year was 2014.
There was a slight hiccup, however; as can occur in rural schools owing to lack of student numbers and availability of teachers to cover all subjects, Taneeka did not have classes in two essential subject requirements, maths methods and chemistry.
While available online, it can be difficult for students, particularly if you are the only student studying the subjects.
Consequently, her Atar score was a little short of what she needed to get into her chosen course.
However, through La Trobe University, she was given an opportunity to join its Aspire Program, and from that time on, Taneeka never looked back, and it proved to her that there was always a way.
Taneeka studied hard for her Bachelor Degree in Animal and Veterinary Bio-Sciences, a three-year course, before applying to study for her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Melbourne University over the ensuing four years.
In 2021, after seven years of full-time study, hard work and dedication, she became Dr Taneeka Corso, achieving her long-held dream of becoming a veterinarian.
“You have to want it. It’s about resilience,” Taneeka said.
“Girls today are really driven and the profession has more female vets than ever before.”
There was absolutely no discussion about where she would practice veterinary science if given an opportunity, it was right here in her home town amongst the community she loves and cares about.
This bright, determined young animal doctor is undeniably proud of her profession and of the fantastic team she works with and the important role each one plays in running the mixed veterinary practice in a rural area.
One moment, it could be out seeing a horse on an equine property, visiting dairy or beef cattle in the yard, attending domestic dogs or cats in the clinic, together with rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds, pet snakes or lizards.
No matter the animal, they all receive the same gentle, professional care from Taneeka and the seven qualified vets at the Cobram and Yarrawonga clinics.
Taneeka is the daughter of Jayne and Vince Corso and is engaged to be married to Robert Stewart.
The couple has its own home in Cobram and loving animals to come home to each night, including Indiana an adorable English Staffy (7), Daisy a Golden Retriever (11 months), Monty the cat (9) and four Silkies named Sate’ Kiev, Nugget and Charcoal who keep the couple well supplied with fresh eggs.
Footnote: Taneeka Corso was an engaging guest speaker at the 2024 Australia Day Ceremony.
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