The Monday Bridge Group would like to honor someone who is very special to all of us here and to the Bridge fraternity.     I am talking about none other than  the ever so sweet   -   Ella Graca

 Many of you here probably wonder what is the secret to Ella’s youthful exuberance.  Is it  her passion for bridge ? (she plays bridge at least three times a week), is it her sharp intellect and her sparkling wit ?  Is there a secret cocktail of vitamins? And will she share it with us?  As Ella will happily tell you it  is actually quite simple - it’s all about being  positive, it’s about seeing things in perspective,  it’s about loving what you do.  

Before cards, in Ella’s  youth it was ballroom dancing. Yes, she can teach you a few steps  and moves on the dance floor.   Ella also played  other games like mahjong and rummy but nothing was more exciting for her than bridge.

We all know Ella and bridge have had a long passionate steamy affair for way over half a century. She can lure you with her eloquent bridge facts and figures.   For Ella bridge is her source of brain exercise, and it’s true because she is fitter than anyone half her age. And no doubt she has proven herself – having started the game more than 60 years ago, in Shanghai, where she worked for the US military.

Ella learned the basics of the game from a Korean neighbour and thus started her whirlwind affair with bridge. She played some high stakes in rubber bridge, and didn’t quite know what she was doing. Needless to say loosing hard-earned money must have motivated her to improve her game. Since then the lady has never looked back and has played with and against some well known players and grandmasters around the globe.

She qualified for the most prestigious women’s tournament – the Venice Cup – in 2000 where she played against Sabine Auken of Germany, one of the best players in the world and went on to defeat  the French team.  She has played against Zia Mahmood at the mixed pairs world team of the Olympiad. For 45 years Ella has represented HK in the Open teams, ladies teams, mixed pairs and seniors.

I have been told that she is also mentioned in the Guinness book of records as the oldest bridge player to represent her place of residence.

Whether it’s ballroom dancing or globe-trotting, listening to music or reading, or meeting charming male bridge players (like me)Ella has a zest for life and she lives every minute with a sparkle in her eye. It is cleverly said that life is not about counting the moments but making each moment count. And there is no other person that fits that quote better than Ella.

If you take the letters in her name  ELLA GRACA and rearrange them you get the following quote -    “ A GRACE ALL”.    That pretty much sums up the person that she is.

Ladies & Gentlemen the Monday Bridge Group salutes the lady.

The vibrant, the wonderful , the every so young at heart  -   Ella Graca