Page 14 - ABF Newsletter August 2025

Sean Mullamphy 1955 - 2025
Ronald (Sean) Mullamphy was born in Townsville in 1955, the eldest of six children to Ron and Beryl Mullamphy. He loved reminding people of that fact, especially when anyone asked which of us was older. He would light up with delight if someone guessed wrong. (For the record, I’m the young- est, and 11 years his junior.)
Sean’s early years were spent in Townsville, where he was educated by the Christian Brothers at St Ignatius College. He went on to study Engineering at James Cook University.
It was during these uni years that Sean discovered what would become a lifelong passion – bridge. He learned under the guidance of Professor John Gray, alongside his good friend Tony Nugent.
The Townsville Bridge Club became a forma- tive place for Sean. It’s where his skills developed and his love for the game truly took hold. It’s also where he formed friendships with Ross Best, Barry Kempthorne and Lindy Vincent – teammates at the 1978 Australian Junior Championships in Canberra. Sean was hooked. He even kept the original score- sheet from the noticeboard – a small, but telling ex- ample of how much the game meant to him.
In the early 1980s, Sean moved to Sydney in search of new opportunities – and more bridge. He quickly found a home in a cosmopolitan share house with Nasseem Malouf and Anil. It was here he expanded his tastes, quite literally, discovering the joys of Leb- anese and Indian food.
Sean had a love of the finer things – good clothes, good wine, great music. His motto was simple: buy the best. It’ll last longer and bring more enjoyment.
Sean at the Summer Festival, presenting the trophy to the 2010 NOT champions
And he lived that philosophy, from his wardrobe to his stereo system – meticulously chosen compo- nents that still play crystal clear music to this day.
Though he worked in a number of jobs, including a stint as paymaster at the Royal Sydney Golf Club, it was always bridge that pulled him back. He built enduring friendships through the bridge world, among them David Beauchamp, Anita Curtis, Mat- thew Thomson, Catherine Herden, Michael Cartmell, David and Cate Fryda, Pauline Gumby, Warren Lazer, and Bob Sebesfi – names that were part of his life for decades.
Eventually, Sean found his true calling not just in playing bridge, but in running it. He became a re- spected tournament director, working at the Grand Slam Bridge Centre with Paul Marston (he and Paul shared a birthday), the Hakoah Club, and at country congresses all over the eastern states. He rose to become Chief Tournament Director for the Austra- lian Bridge Federation and the ACT Bridge Associ- ation. In Canberra he created a hardworking team with Wendy Boxall, regularly commenting how for- tunate he was.
In 1995 Sean moved to Canberra to take up the po- sition as Manager of the Canberra Bridge club, a position he held for many years, where he taught, directed and worked in bridge administration.
For ten years, he was the convenor of the Summer Festival of Bridge – an enormous undertaking. In- ternationally, he directed at several World Champi- onships, often alongside his English colleague and friend, Max Bavin.
At tournaments, Sean and Chris Diment became a formidable duo – partners in logistics, in humour, and in their shared appreciation of single malt whisky. At the end of a long day wrangling bridge players, they
Page: 14
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: August 2025