沉痛悼念BERNARD FIENBERG IN MEMORIAM - BERNARD FIENBERG

我們非常悲痛地獲悉，Bernie Fienberg上周六在布里斯本的家中，因心臟病發作去世。1999年至2014年間，Bernie是欖球總會的裁判員經理。在此期間，他通過在亞洲橄欖球聯盟的工作，為推動香港比賽裁判數量和質量的發展起到了核心作用。

Bernie不知疲倦、無私地為不同等級的比賽辛勤工作 —— 今天他為學校學生傳授入門課程，明天他又指導國際級裁判。他一周工作七天。但他從來沒有把這一切當作是工作。欖球社區，尤其是裁判協會和欖球總會的同事，是他的第二個家。他喜歡在運動場上、在教室裏、在酒吧裏，付出、幫助他人，貢獻自己的力量。

他有一種調皮的幽默感、精彩的自嘲故事、喜歡開玩笑和善意地惹惱別人。他是一個自豪的澳洲人。在澳紐軍團日總會給欖球總會的員工買林明頓蛋糕。他同樣熱愛香港和在香港結交的朋友。

和他的好朋友Jarrad Gallagher一起，Bernie在亞太區廣汎旅游，開辦教育課程和協辦錦標賽。許多欖球協會對Bernie的慷慨幫助表示感謝。

我們經常忘記了Bernie是一個多麽優秀的裁判。儘管你可能在一個工作日的下午，偶遇他在跑馬地的學校比賽中擔任裁判，而你只是窺看到了他工作的一小部分，他喜歡提醒他的朋友們他在John Eales的自傳中被提到。

他也許沒有完整地主持一個比賽。但只要他能記住在運動服裏穿短褲，他就很接近能夠完整主持一場比賽了。實際上，他主持過最高水平的比賽，如世界杯橄球賽和英聯邦的比賽。

對Bernie來說最大的回報不是個人榮譽，而是他的學生和門生的成長和成功 —— 他對他們的成就感到非常自豪。他在任職期間和卸任后，為香港培養了大量的人才，像是人才的“輸送帶”，比如培養了Gabriel Lee-Lehner —— Gabriel一路走到了里約奧運會。Bernie應該獲得巨大的榮譽。

Bernie von Finkelstein —— 你觸動了許多人的生活和心靈，爲我們這項偉大的運動引進了很多“人才”，留下了寶貴的遺產，你是一個偉大的朋友。

我們對Pam，你的家人和朋友致以慰問。安息吧。

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing last Saturday of Bernie Fienberg, following a heart attack at home in Brisbane. Bernie was the Union’s Referees’ Manager from 1999 to 2014 during which time he played a central role in the development of both the quantity and quality of match officials in Hong Kong, and across the region through his work for Asia Rugby.

Bernie worked tirelessly and selflessly across all levels of the game - one day he’d be running an introductory course for school students, the next he’d be coaching our international panel referees. He worked seven days a week, but then again he never really saw it as work; the rugby community, particularly the Referees’ Society and the Union staff, were his second family and he loved being out there on the pitch, in the classroom, in the bar…contributing, helping, doing his bit. He had a mischievous sense of humour, the most brilliant self-deprecating stories, and loved a joke and a wind-up. He was a proud Aussie, always buying the Union staff Lamington cakes on Anzac Day, but equally loved Hong Kong and the friends he made here. He travelled widely across the region with his great pal Jarrad Gallagher, running education courses and assisting at tournaments, and many unions owe Bernie a debt of gratitude for his generous assistance.

We often forgot how good a referee he was, although if you stumbled across him officiating a school game on a weekday afternoon at the Valley, you saw glimpses of what he could do, and he did love to remind his mates that he got a mention in John Eales’ biography…he may not have reffed a full test match, but he got close (if only he’d remembered to wear his shorts under his tracksuit), and he was involved in officiating at the very highest level of World Cups and the Commonwealth Games. What gave Bernie the greatest reward was not his own accolades but seeing the growth and success of his protégés and mentees - he took huge pride in their achievements, and he deserves immense credit for the “conveyor belt” of talent Hong Kong produced during his tenure and beyond, in particular Gabriel Lee-Lehner who made it all the way to the Rio Olympics.

Bernie von Finkelstein - you touched many lives, introduced many “newbies” to our wonderful sport, left a lasting legacy, and you were a great mate. Our thoughts are with Pam, family and friends – RIP.

Information and Photo source : Hong Kong Rugby Union