Vale Mavis Skinner: 21/06/2025 – after a Magnificent Innings of 98 Years!
Another member of the inaugural 'Beauy Family' from the 1960's left us on Saturday night after a long life devoted to family, friends and the Beaumaris Community. Mavis was there in in 1963 when her two boys, Geoff and Peter, lined up for the inaugural Under 17 and Under15 teams and supported them closely through their careers with the Sharks and she last visited the Oak St clubrooms when attending the 2023 Anzac Luncheon at the age of 96, with both Geoff and Peter accompanying her.
Many of us old-timers remember how Mavis looked after the Senior players on Thursday nights before there was any sort of social facility at the club. It used to be down to the Beaumaris Pub after training on a Thursday night for a counter tea while waiting for the teams to come down and then we would traipse around to the nearby Skinner household for a beer and a game of cards while Mavis made sure that the ingredients for late night (and sometimes early morning) toasties would be left out for the boys. She often woke up to a kitchen with sparse supplies left for her own breakfast. It was a different era!
Peter made the first significant contribution to the Sharks when he kicked the club’s first goal on the morning of April 20, 1963, with Ted King’s Under 15 team playing away at East Brighton at 9.45am. The team was led by future Senior Captain, Paul Hankinson, and included characters such as Ken Luxmoore, Drew Munro, ‘Barney’ Fetterplace, Andrew King and Ron Nicholson and they know that Pete’s goal was the first because the Andy Sheldrake led Under 13s, playing at the same time, did not score a goal in their first game.
Older brother, Geoff, started with Mick Kirkby in the Under 17s and the two of them were the ‘young guns’ who joined the Seniors in 1965 and became pivotal members of that undefeated Premiership Team that recently celebrated their 60th Anniversary at the club. Geoff became a Senior Captain in the late '60's and still holds the goalkicking records for 112 in a season and 18 in a game. (Geoff is pictured with Mum).
The boys also have the legacy of being named on the BFC Anzac Guernsey as they were both separately called up for National Service when turning 20.
Well Done Mavis – you were a valued member of the BFC Family and Condolences to all members of her family.
