Vale - Terrance (Terry) John Willis

The Rugby community is mourning the death of Terry Willis, Member of The Rugby Club Foundation, Honorary Life Member of NSW Rugby and revered judiciary member and administrator, who passed away on 22 November 2019.

Many Members of the Foundation would have crossed paths with Terry over the years, either when the Judiciary hearings were held at The Rugby Club (or before the panel itself!) or on those occasions when he and his fellow NSW Rugby Life Members gathered at The Rugby Club’s Rugby Place premises.

Terry was a competitive swimmer and water polo player in his younger days as well as a keen Rugby player, originally with Eastwood and later with Penrith where he played first grade as a feisty breakaway. He was a particularly combative player on the field which saw him come to the attention of the Rugby Judiciary on numerous occasions. It may have been his familiarity with the Rugby Judiciary that ultimately led to him being appointed in 1992 as Chair of the NSW Rugby Union Judiciary, a position he held until his passing.

A stalwart of Penrith Rugby Club over his lifetime of involvement in Rugby, Terry somehow balanced his life between his commitment to coaching and administrative roles within NSW, Australian and World Rugby, his career as a barrister and his family.

In 1996, Terry was appointed as a Judicial Member of the International Rugby Board (now known as World Rugby) and dealt with references for players cited or sent off in international matches. In 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of his contribution to Rugby. Terry was a Judicial Officer in respect of four Rugby World Cups, Commonwealth Youth Games, the British and Irish Lions Tour of NZ, Test matches and Super Rugby matches – as well as always overseeing Monday night judiciary hearings during the Sydney Rugby Union season. He last dealt with an international hearing in May 2019, shortly before he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Up until the onset of his illness, Terry had long been involved in setting the policies and processes which apply to judiciaries the world over.

The Rugby Club Foundation and the entire Rugby community convey their condolences to the Willis Family during this most difficult time.

A funeral service will be held for Terry on Thursday, 5 December 2019 at 1.00pm in St Mary’s Church, Miller Street, North Sydney.

In lieu of floral tributes the Willis Family have asked that contributions be made to The Rugby Club Foundation Limited in support of its vision of ‘Sharing the Spirit of the Game’ and its Primary Object of supporting grassroots Rugby in New South Wales and elsewhere.

The Foundation is humbled by and most grateful for this gesture by the Willis Family.

More particularly, this gesture constitutes an appropriate commemoration of Terry’s lifelong love and commitment to Rugby, especially at the grassroots level of NSW Rugby.

The Foundation is grateful to the NSW Rugby Union, the New South Wales Bar Association and Lamrocks Solicitors for assisting with the compilation of this tribute to Terry Willis, a true servant of the game.