Debbie Lines has decided to resign early as Secretary-General, having determined that her time over the next few months can best be spent as Chair of the WCF’s Incorporation sub-committee and she has been formally appointed by the Management Committee to that role. As such she will work with Peter Payne and Samir Patel to complete the work required to transfer the WCF to a limited company. The transition to an incorporated company is important for the ongoing health and financial security of the WCF and Debbie is keen to focus on that work.
Debbie had been due to finish as Secretary-General at the end of the year with Rosemary Landrebe working alongide her as Deputy. Instead, Rosemary Landrebe takes on the Secretary-General role with immediate effect.
Debbie will continue to support the Management Committee over the next 4 months and will work closely with Rosemary to hand-over the responsibilities of Secretary-General. She will be on hand to support the new Secretary-General and the Management Committee and we expect a smooth transition.
The Management Committee would like to thank Debbie for her service over the past five years, and for her on-going support over the next four months.
The WCF Management Committee is very pleased to announce that Rosemary Landrebe from Australia has been appointed Deputy Secretary-General with effect from 1 September 2025.
As previously announced, Debbie Lines will retire on 31 December 2025 on the completion of her four-year term, and it is the intention that Rosemary will become Secretary-General from 1st January 2026. She will be eligible to be appointed for a second four-year term from 1 January 2030 to 31 December 2033.
Rosemary has been a senior manager in various roles, specialising in operations management and analysis. She has experience of managing stakeholders at all levels working across sporting and not-for-profit organisations. She has also spent time supporting Croquet Australia and the New South Wales boards, working on various implementation and improvement projects and coaching programs.
Rosemary has been playing croquet for more than 40 years, plays both AC and GC at the top level, and has represented Australia and New South Wales on several occasions.
The MC believes that Rosemary’s passion and commitment to croquet and professional experience make her an ideal candidate for the role.
The USCA have confirmed that the upcoming AC World Championship, to be held at the National Croquet Center, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, between 18-26 October 2025, will use the newly approved Invictus Balls.
It is with great sadness that we report that our much loved croquet colleague, Colonel Tony Hall OBE, has died at the age of 93. Tony was still playing croquet until very recently and was known to many all over the international croquet world. He was a great friend to the WCF, having been our President from 1999 to 2003, and frequently referee’d at our Championships. He will be greatly missed.
His Hall of Fame citation can be read here: Tony Hall – WCF Hall of Fame 2010
Our condolences to his friends and family.
