Jan Dunlop

That was the tongue-in-cheek response Jan Dunlop gave her son, Craig, when he told her that he was nominating her for the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame two years ago.

Dunlop, who passed away at the age of 78 in 2023, emerged as the premier female golfer of the Goulburn Valley in the mid-1960s and held onto the title until the early 1990s.

To give a quick indication of what Dunlop achieved during her time on the links it would be easier to list what she hasn’t: a hole-in-one.

And that’s about it.

Dunlop is one of three additions to the GSSHOF Honour Roll for 2025 and a more-than-deserved inductee.

An integral part of Hill Top Golf Club and Murchison Golf Club, Dunlop was in a league of her own when swinging the sticks in her neck of the woods.

Dunlop won the Ladies Championship at Hill Top for 23 consecutive years and was selected in the Goulburn Valley representative team for 26 years.

Her list of achievements extended to being a seven-time winner of the Murchison Golf Club Championship, 10 Goulburn Valley singles titles, 1973 Goulburn Valley Sports Star of the Year and the 1972 Victorian Women Champion of Champions title at Keysborough Golf Club among a plethora of others.

Craig said his mother’s humble nature often undersold the weight of her golfing excellence.

“Mum wouldn’t brag about her achievements,” he said.

“It’s funny when you go back and look through her history and what she has actually won, us as a family didn’t appreciate it as much.

“The Victorian Champion of Champions in 1972 was one of her highlights, because she was the first country lady to win that.

“The (23-year record) at Hill Top she had a bit of pride in that on the consecutive side and she played against some good people back then.”

Born Janice Tweddle, she learnt the art, science and love for the sport of golf thanks to her father, Alan.

Out on the farm in Murchison, her father, who played off a whisker over scratch, was her coach and watched as she sent thousands of balls thundering across the property.

Even after Dunlop had reached her soaring heights in the game of golf, Craig fondly remembers returning to his grandfather’s property with siblings Debbie and Brett so Jan could get some advice and coaching from the all-seeing Alan.

“I remember on many occasions going out (to the farm) when Mum needed a bit of practice and coaching,” he said.

“We would go down to the back paddock and her father would tell her what she was doing wrong and they would rectify that.

“We (as kids) would chase the golf balls and pick them up for them.”

Dunlop first made waves as one to watch when she made the Victorian junior state golf team and travelled to Perth in 1965.

Throughout her time in the game, Craig said his mother’s value on the mental side of golf never dipped.

“She always said it was between the ears golfing; that it was a mental game,” he said.

“She was pretty strong mentally with her putting and she could hit a long drive.

“Accuracy and the mental strength that she had to play match play and dominate.

“She came from a family that was all sporting, her brother (Jimmy) was a good footballer, her older sister (Margaret) played pennant tennis down in Melbourne and her father was a really good golfer and sportsman himself.

“She was a pure competitor.”

With a natural competitive drive and elite hand-eye coordination to match, Dunlop’s sporting greatness didn’t stop on the golfing green.

Craig said his mother had a similar standard of performance on the tennis court as she did on the links, and even received coaching from a great of Australian tennis.

“From her recollection, I do remember that she got coached by Harry Hopman at one stage,” he said.

“She had a really good eye for sport.

“With her tennis, she was win at all costs.

“She would hit the ball hard and hit it strong through people if she had to, she had no mercy.”

Told shortly before her passing that she would be nominated for the GSSHOF Honour Roll, Craig said his mother would be proud to be recognised among the region’s sporting elite.

“She is pretty modest, I said, ‘Well you have to be to be nominated’,” he said.

“She said (wryly), ‘Well it is about time’.

“I think it is well deserved. We are pretty proud of her achievements over her lifetime.

“She was dedicated to Tatura and Hill Top Golf Club, with not just being the champion there, but being on the committees and she represented the Goulburn Valley on many occasions.

“She just enjoyed the sport and the people that went with the sport.

“As a family, her brother and sister are still alive, and I would dare say they would be pretty proud of her achievements.”