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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-30 Daily Xml
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Koshnitsky, Ms Evelyn

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:51): I have the honour of opening an upcoming festival acknowledging the late Evelyn Koshnitsky BEM, AM, and her contribution to encouraging young people to play chess. Many of the details of the festival are under wraps, so I am unable to say very much except that the festival will start on 11 July and I am very honoured to be part of that festival.

The invitation came, however, through a friend of mine, George Howard—the president of South Australian Chess Association Incorporated—who, I must say, has done amazing work to encourage people, particularly young people, both on an Australian and international level, to play chess over many decades. I have had the opportunity, again through Mr Howard, to work with Garry and Evelyn Koshnitsky when I was the chair—it seems like a long time ago—of the state youth advisory committee, advising minister Rann at the time, and then as a shadow youth minister and youth minister.

George Howard also reminds me that Evelyn Koshnitsky is noted as one of the 100 most important women of South Australia, and this is indicated in the Flinders University Walk of Honour. Another chess activist is Alan Goldsmith, who is also known for his work in the Henley Beach and West Beach Community Environment Group, but I think he is probably well known for being the Sunday Mail chess association writer. I quote from part of an account he has given with regard to Evelyn Koshnitsky.

He says that Evelyn met the other love of her life Garry in Sydney in the 1940s. Garry was an Australian chess champion and it was a match made for the chess board. Together, they went about creating an Australian chess set. Garry teamed up with another chess fanatic, Cecil Purdy, to write the very successful Chess Made Easy. I must say that, although they think it is easy, I am not one of those people who can easily work out chess moves, but it has been a reference for many people.

In the meantime, Evelyn established the New South Wales junior league and, later, the fledgling South Australian Junior Chess League, and that is when chess in South Australia really began to bloom. Evelyn, Alan says, helped promote chess everywhere, both in the junior and senior ranks and, in particular, school chess and the junior, state and national chess championships. Other members in this house have probably been to different chess tournaments that have been held over time in their electorates. Evelyn and Garry were quite often at the back of these things happening.

She also did everything she could to encourage girls' and women's chess. She was always practical and, for many years, the school matches in Adelaide were run in the Buttery section of John Martin's—a big department store. The noise, heat and fun associated with chess played there left an indelible mark on thousands of students who took part over the years.

It is very interesting when you talk to people about chess how they actually remember these tournaments and the effect that it has had on them and their interest in chess over the years. Again, as Alan says, it is impossible to do justice to all of Evelyn's work and achievements. She was churning out bulletins and letters in a time without computers and word processors or the internet; and when technology arrived she embraced it willingly. She was very instrumental in running the fabulous Karlis Lidums International and the subsequent Adsteam-Lidums tournaments. She made lifelong friends with people all over the world, and this will be an interesting announcement for those connections for the 11 July festival.

For many years she organised interstate chess matches for teams of women and girls using runners and phones to transmit the moves, and then when the internet arrived she started using that. Again, as Alan says:

Evelyn had a great love of life and people. She hated injustice and racism. She loved music, especially opera, and read widely. Evelyn was a wonderful model for us all and I know that we will miss her.

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