FRED CARÖE ACCEPTS EGU PRESIDENCY FOR 2005
Fred Caröe, a former president of Cheshire, has accepted
the nomination to become President Elect of the English Golf
Union for the year 2004 with a view to becoming its President
in 2005.
A long-serving member of Heswall Golf Club, Fred admits that
cricket and hockey were his first loves. But golf has been
the major part of his life for the past 40 years, and he has
served the Cheshire Union, his club, and the EGU with distinction
over that period.
Born in Liverpool 68 years ago, Fred’s family moved
to Cheshire in 1945 and his working life was spent in the
grain trade in Liverpool. Before that he completed his National
Service in the Royal Air Force in Aden then went to university
in Cambridge.
Back in Liverpool the grain business beckoned and he eventually
became managing director of a company of grain brokers, becoming
President of the Liverpool Grain Trade Association in 1978-79.
During that time, in fact from 1972-79, Fred also became the
Honorary Consul for Denmark in Liverpool, a post previously
held by his father. In that capacity he met various members
of royalty.
Fred’s early sporting ventures were with a larger ball,
playing hockey and cricket in the Liverpool area. He spent
around 25 years with the Oxton Hockey Club and eight with
the cricket club as a batsman and occasional off break bowler.
He took up golf in 1963, joining Heswall with a handicap
of 16. That was eventually reduced to four but he now confesses
to be back to 12. Made Captain in 1976, Fred has served the
club’s council on and off for 30 years and is still
its Chairman of Green, the club having celebrated its centenary
in 2002. He is currently a Trustee of the club.
The duties with the Cheshire Union began in 1980 when he
was elected to the Executive, on which he still serves. He
was made county Treasurer in 1985, a post he still holds although
he has a successor in the wings. "Quite opportune in
view of the news from the EGU," he says.
He was made Cheshire President in 1988 and the following
year elected to the EGU’s Council representing Cheshire,
again a post he continues to hold. He joined the EGU’s
Finance Committee in 1990, serving as its chairman from 1995
to 2000, and was a member of the Executive Committee from
1995 until last year. Since 2001, Fred has been a member of
the Golf Services Committee and he has also been a member
of the Tournament Panel for a number of years.
Married to Sue since 1959, they have two sons, Christian
and Mark, and a daughter Elizabeth, as well as eight grandchildren.
Two of them, Michael, 16, and 13-year-old Justin, have taken
up golf and are members of Cheshire clubs.
Fred’s nomination as EGU President Elect for 2004 comes
after a difficult year during which he underwent surgery in
April. "When I received the letter about my nomination
it was a complete surprise," he said. "It’s
the nicest thing that could have happened after what’s
occurred in the past year. But for the time being I have to
play my golf in a buggy."
Fred lists his hobbies as gardening, philately and meteorology.
He has been a Fellow of the Meteorological Society since 1957
and still keeps rainfall records for the Met Office. His house
in Cheshire is an official Met Office Station.
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