PR-39-2022
08 October 2022
Filipino Spearheads Knoxville Community Chess Club
“Grow old playing chess gloriously!” This was the banner of the Knox Community Chess Enthusiasts when they held the Special Seniors Festival Chess Day on 8 October 2022 at the Rowville Community Centre some 34 kms east of Melbourne CBD.
The event was part of the Victorian Seniors Festival for residents over 60 years old focusing on providing fun and good times for free or at low cost throughout October of each year.
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The Knoxville Community Chess Enthusiasts was founded in 2017 by Eddie Atacador. Every Thursday for the past five years, the community space at Westfield Knox is abuzz with people playing chess. By chance was how the chess club was founded. His wife Lita was member of the Knox Walkers Club, whose members walk around the shopping centre to improve their fitness. “I noticed a lot of partners/ spouses standing around bored waiting for the ladies to finish their walk or shopping. So, I thought why don’t I do something about it,” this Filipino leader said. The group started with one chessboard in a small corner of the shopping mall and before long, they received a lot of interest from many people of diverse backgrounds. Some of the group’s members are socially isolated but enjoy coming along for a game and often stay all day. Eddie Atacador said the group has become a family. |
Founder of Knoxville Community Chest Enthusiasts Eddie Atacador (leftmost) receives support from the Consulate and members of the Filipino Community. Below: Sally Clark of Knox City Council and Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo make the opening and defense moves on the ‘giant chessboard’.
Sally Clark, Program Lead Social Connections of the Knox City Council who represented Mayor Susan Laukens during the event, spoke of the Knox Seniors Festival and the Knox Over 55s Zest4Life. She said that the Festival opened on 3 October with a full day of activities called “Come & Try” at the Carrington Park Precinct and will end on 29 October with the theme “Grow Old Gloriously! Dance” where seniors are expected to dress up in their finest for an afternoon of dance.
Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo, for her part, spoke of the contributions of Filipino migrants to Australia and the enduring relations between the Philippines and Australia. “Thanks to the policies and programs of the local, state and federal governments to allow migrants reach their full potentials and give back to their communities,’ she said. END
Consul General Salcedo receives a plaque of appreciation from Knoxville Community Chess Enthusiasts founder Eddie Atacador. Right: And so, chess enthusiasts play chess to their heart’s content.
