November 21st 2024

Beverley Forsyth recently wrote this lovely tribute to Chantal Moritz who played at Maldon a number of times.

Vale
Chantal Moritz 1953-2024
There have been lots of tributes from the Petanque community to
Chantal as she was someone who left a deep impression on those who
came in contact with her. Her beautiful smile that lit up her face, natural
warmth, French accent, and skill on the piste - as someone commented
‘ she could throw a mean boule and if you were playing with or against her
you were always guaranteed a competitive fun game’
Chantal was my friend and my frequent partner in Petanque, the game we
both loved. We first teamed up when play resumed after Covid and found
we played well together and established a rapport at first on the piste but
quickly we became friends as we shared many interests
Over the years on the piste we had both victories and defeats as is always
the case in Petanque but throughout it was simply good fun – how could
it not be with Chantal’s beautiful smile, gracious manner, knowledge of
the game and considerable skill. Looking back on those tournaments, it
was the individual games that stand out as highlights, winning with Gerry
at Halls Gap and Avoca and the two of us together at Camberwell.
I have been comforted by newcomers to Petanque telling me they
remember her as ‘that lovely lady’ who was such a generous player. She
stood out from the crowd for all the right reasons.
Beyond our times on the piste, there are all the memorable social times,
many lunches and evenings, birthdays and Bastille Days and weekends.
Times of joy and laughter, good food and wine and shared stories and art
and ideas, Chantal was a teacher and an artist who exhibited in Australia
and France. The cloud and reality of cancer was also there but it served as
a reminder to live in the present, to grasp the opportunities (a quick trip
to France for Christmas) and to make plans for the future Sadly that
future was curtailed.
Vale Chantal beautiful friend.
Beverley Forsyth