Nola Ryan receiving her Bathurst Living Legend award

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Nola Ryan Bathurst Living Legend- Western Advocate 26/1/25

'I just can't believe it': 90-year-old Nola named Bathurst Living Legend - Western Advocate 5/2/25

If you've lived in Bathurst in the past 80 years, chances are you've crossed paths with Nola Ryan.

She's been a Bathurst resident for the past eight decades, and in that time, she has been an avid tennis player, a member of the Legion of Mary, and has received a Papal blessing. Now, Nola Ryan can add another thing to her long list of accomplishments; on January 26, she was officially named a Bathurst Living Legend. Initially, the 90-year-old felt she wasn't worthy of such an honour. "My friend across the road, Julie Clulow, one day up at tennis, she said, 'I would like to nominate you as a Living Legend', and I said, 'Oh, I don't think so'," Mrs Ryan said. Despite her protests, Macquarie View Tennis Club members nominated her for the accolade.

But, according to Mrs Ryan, anything she has ever done has always been for the joy she finds in helping others. "I don't know how I feel; I just can't believe it because everything I do, I just do it because I love doing it," she said. Mrs Ryan first came to Bathurst in 1942, after her father got a job in the munitions factory in Blayney.

Her first night in town is one that she will never forget. "I was seven when I came, and we spent our first night here in this two-storey place across the road from the jail, and we were all scared stiff," she said.

Ironically, Mrs Ryan moved into a home near the jail that she has remained in for the past 60 years.

In that time, she has achieved many things. She has had two children, is the grandmother to six grandchildren, and is also a great-grandmother to two, with another on the way.

The Macquarie View Tennis Club

For more than 55 years, she has been a member of the Macquarie View Tennis Club, and has held various positions on the committee, including treasurer and president. At 90, she is still an active player and ensures that she is always encouraging others to lead an active lifestyle. "I want to keep playing tennis as long as I can, to encourage other people to play because too many people just spend their time sitting down," she said. "I'd like to feel that I'm showing an example that age is not a barrier and that you can do what you want to do if you have good health and the inclination to do it."

Mrs Ryan started playing tennis with her late husband, Wally, and his family. "I really started when I was about 16. You'd think I'd be a champion by now, but I'm just a social player," she joked. In that time, she has learnt that tennis has many benefits other than just physical. "It's good for your mind, your body, and your soul," she said. "If you play tennis, you have to use your mind, and think 'where am I going to put that ball?', or 'can I get this one?', and also it's the exercise, and it's the lovely company you have."

Member of the Legion of Mary

Being able to build connections with people from all walks of life also led Mrs Ryan to a life in the Legion of Mary. Having been a member for 42 years, she regularly visits those in need in the Catholic community. "The Legion of Mary, we meet every Friday for an hour to say the rosary, and we have scripture reading, and we give out work to the members," she said. "We go and visit people, or we take people to Holy Communion or doctors appointments. "It's really a big part of my life, and I love doing it. I love going to church, going to the Legion, and visiting people." As a result, for her 90th birthday, she was honoured with a Papal Blessing from Pope Francis. The blessing was presented to her at mass and was a massive surprise to Mrs Ryan. "It was wonderful. I knew something was up; I just thought the bishop might be there, thinking he would give me a blessing, but it was a Papal Blessing," she said.

Now, having achieved so much in her life, there's only one thing Mrs Ryan wants: a spot next to her husband. "A place up there. I'll wait a while, but that's what I hope for," she said.