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It wasnt envisaged that she would have to do much, perhaps just turning up at the annual meeting, but as time went on she began to play an increasingly important role, and when the club hosted the 1947 Wallabies her fame went far beyond the boundaries of Cornwall.
On being invited to become President she at first felt it was beyond her, but people were so kind and helpful that she never felt out of place and enjoyed every minute of it which was just as well for she held the post for an amazing 21 years. Being the only lady President of a rugby club in Britain she became very well-known and was the first to make a speech in the Presidents room at Twickenham.
Tweed-clad and wearing the Pirates scarf, she was seldom missing from her seat in front of the stand at the Mennaye Field, watching John Kendall-Carpenter and Ginger Williams (both club internationals) with the same intentness that was given to those in the reserves.
She later recalled that she remembered the ground when it was a tip for the quarries. My first visit, she said, was during the war when the Duke of Kent did a Civil Defence inspection. I didnt realise then that I was going to spend a great many more hours there.
The Pirates had a reputation par excellence for hosting visiting teams, and it was Mavis who set the highest standards. It came naturally to her and thousands of players over the years received a genuinely warm welcome which made them feel at home.
Besides being the President, other important roles were also performed. She was Chairman of the Ladies Committee, Membership Secretary, and served on the Social Committee and Summer Activities Committee. She was also a member of the Red Cross, a Civil Defence warden, a fund-raiser for the cricket club, and a member of the House Committee of West Cornwall Hospital.
It was no surprise that she was awarded a B.E.M. in the 1962 New Years Honours List, whilst in 1963-64 she was the Mayoress of Penzance when Mrs. Crosbie Garstin, widow of the eminent novelist, was Mayor.
Following her death in the early seventies the Mavis Lawry Memorial Fund was set up, culminating in the opening of the Mavis Lawry Lounge in March, 1978. It was considered a magnificent addition and a fitting tribute to the unique contribution made by a very special lady.
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