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 Bob and Ev

A week ago, our bridge world lost one of its top players, a Gold Grandmaster with nearly 4,000 A Points, Palmerston North’s Evelyn Hurley. Within the last month, the Manawatu Guardian featured Evelyn and Bob, husband and regular partner of nearly 40 years. The article was a build-up to the Palmerston North Bridge Club’s, Evelyn and Bob’s club, 75^th anniversary. In honour of Ev, we would like to reproduce the bulk of the article below.

“As avid bridge players, Evelyn and Bob Hurley have made plenty of contracts in their time. But it was the one they made in 1973 that shaped their lives the most.

Bob joined Palmerston North Bridge Club in 1970 while Evelyn joined in 1971. 1971 is the year they met and they married in Gisborne in 1973. On their honeymoon in Gisborne, they played their first tournament together.

Evelyn remembers Bob as being shy when they met while Bob remembers being impressed his future wife was driving a sports car.

Evelyn worked at Massey University as an academic and helped to set up the bachelor of agricultural business there. Bob worked at the Palmerston North Courthouse for 43 years. 

Bob was 18 when he started playing bridge in Opotiki. His father was a keen bridge player who learnt to play in the army.

“It’s the best card game there is” Bob says. “Once you’ve played bridge, you’ll never play 500 or euchre again” he says. He got bored with those games.

Evelyn always wanted to play bridge and when she was doing her masters’ degree in Australia, she played “kitchen” or “lunchtime” bridge but nothing sophisticated.

She had read about bridge and it appealed as a way to occupy her mind.

When she returned to “Palmy”, she decided to join the club. Her first partner was Heather Simpson, her former lecturer who is still playing at the club.

Bob says partnerships have to spend time working on their game, discussing their bidding, playing and defensive strategies.

 
  at home,in discussion

That bridge is a complicated game is demonstrated is the need for 8 2-hour lessons for beginners before someone can begin to play.

Evelyn admitted to sitting up in bed after a game analysing what happened. She also said that Bob was the better bridge player.

Bob said it was common for players’ brains to be ticking over thinking about hands, but he could switch off. Evelyn was not so sure about that.”

Evelyn and Bob have been very prominent members and successful bridge players at the Palmerston North Club for well over half of the club’s 75 years. They have demonstrated that life partners can also be successful bridge partners.

In more recent years, Evelyn has taken on the role as archivist for New Zealand Bridge. I am sure condolences of all bridge players go to Bob, their family and friends and the many players Evelyn knew and helped at the bridge table.

Evelyn’s funeral will take place on Monday 28^th June at 2 00pm at Beauchamp, 167 JFK Drive, Palmerston North. For those who cannot be there, there will be a livestream. The delay is to enable Evelyn and Bob’s son, Bevan, to return from overseas.

Richard Solomon

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