10/10/2023
Geoff Druce was an integral figure in the running of the 2019 World Billiards Championship at the RACV Club. He is pictured here preparing the tables during that event. RIP Geoff.
Australian Billiards has lost an unsung servant of billiards and snooker with the death in Melbourne of RACV Club billiard room manager Geoff Druce at the age of 71. Geoff joined the RACV Club in his twenties and clocked up nearly 50 years service to that Club, the great majority of that time as supervisor or manager of the billiard room and bar.
Geoff took great pride in maintaining the eight tables at the RACV Club, firstly at their 123 Queen St premises and since 2005 at the Club's 501 Bourke St premises. During his career he brushed, padded and ironed well over 10,000 billiard tables, always at an unhurried pace, never rushing. His secret sauce was to iron one side of a table, then re-heat the iron so that it was equally hot for both sides of the table. While the iron re-heated he would start brushing and padding the next table. During major tournaments including the 1998 and 2019 World Billiards Championships, Geoff ensured that the tables were prepared to the highest standard before each day's play.
Geoff knew all the regular members and visitors to the billiard room, and greeted them by name, in the early days as "Mr. So-and-so" and more recently by their first name. Always courteous and considerate, it was always a great pleasure to see Geoff's smiling face behind the bar or in the billiard room. He will be greatly missed.
Geoffrey Francis Druce, billiard room manager, born 15/02/1952, died 3/10/2023
