President's Report & Results Half Moon Bay 31 July

Hi All,

The weather was great, the course in great condition and some of us played good golf when we turned out at Half Moon Bay today. The main thing was that the company was good. The event today was sponsored by BROTHERS LEAGUES CLUB, a long term and valued sponsor.

With the Ladies competition in the City of Cairns Classic being played today, it was expected that the field would be down, not only because of the absence of he ladies but also their spouses and partners. As it turned out 95 players started with 79 men and 16 ladies teeing off, which was very satisfying. While all absent ladies were missed, those who were missed the most by the male members of the Committee, were the three Committee ladies. It is only when they’re not there, one appreciates how much assistance they provide. Lois and Andrina were playing in the Classic and Chris was ministering to hubby, Treasurer John, who was recuperating after an operation. My thanks go to Russ, Wal and Lou for all pitching in with the Board and results. Vice President Robin and I (token ladies! Ed.) made a formidable team in registering the field with charm, poise, empathy and efficiency. More importantly we think we got the money right. (Subject to audit by Treasurer John).

We had two new members join today, Sam Bildardi from Axdale Club near Bendigo and Alan Thorburn of Cairns. This brings our membership up to 238 comprising of 180 men and 58 ladies.

CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Our Association’s Championships will commence next Tuesday at Atherton. To be eligible a player must have been a member for two months on that date and played at least three games from our program. A list will be available next week of the number of games members played. If you dispute the numbers please speak to a Committee person as soon as you are aware of the possible error. The handicap on which you play in the first round will be frozen for the next round. A list of frozen handicaps will be available prior to the second round. Players may not win more than one major trophy, e.g., one can’t win the Overall Gross and Overall Net in any grade. The grades will be determined after the first round depending on numbers. Players ineligible to compete in the Championship will be eligible to win Daily Events.

Some of us were lucky enough today to witness an effort of epic and courageous proportions in the pursuit of an errant golf buggy by our Vice President Robin. Courageous, because last time this feat was attempted was by our Captain Russ at Millaa Millaa on the first hole. That pursuit was unsuccessful, with the buggy disappearing down the hill and finally overturning with Russ tearing a “hammy” and being out of golf for a couple of months. Whilst looking for a lost ball on the 5^th, Robin, out of the corner of his eye, caught sight of his buggy heading apace towards the swamp. With his little legs pumping like pistons and mouthing the words, “I think I can, I think I can”, he chased, making a final lunge to stop the buggy just before it plunged into the swamp. The members of the group were amazed at the speed and elegance of Robin’s style and were very supportive of his effort until……..he struck the Usain Bolt Victory Pose!! That’s when he lost us.

(I admit that I have used a little bit of journalistic licence in his particular item.)

See you all at Atherton and Good Luck.

Greg,

“El Presidente”.

TODAY’S RESULTS

MENS

DIVISION I

Winner: George Cooley, 41 points.

Runner Up: Garry Castle, 40 points.

DIVISION II

Winner: Peter Anderson, 42 points.

Runner Up: Darryl DeClifford, 39 points C/B.

BALL RUNDOWN

39 points: John Richards.

38 Points: Dennis Lankester.

37 Points: Wal Anthony, Lionel Law.

36 Points: Robin Tonks.

35 Points: Roger Smith, Rod Cade, Neil Sharkey, Merv Elms, Brian Guest, John Tolhurst.

34 Points: Harvey Blanch, Darryl Chandler, Peter Johnston.

33 Points: Eric Pihljhertra, Bill Matthews, Trevor Barry, Dave Ingram, Rick Gooderham, Greg Gibb.

32 Points: Brian Norris, Peter Doherty, John Lombardi, Ron Sylvester, Brian Knowles, Russ Gill.

31 Points: Des Jones, Tom Finch, Sam Bilardi, Graham Morrow, John Pilbin, George Atkinson, James Thomson, Keith Schirmer.

N.T.P.’s: 3^rd Peter Anderson, 9^th Rick Gooderham, 11^th Greg Gibb. 16^th Ron Crispin.

LADIES

Winner: Jenny Alberton, 35 points.

Runner Up: Margaret Finch, 34 points.

BALL RUNDOWN

34 Points: Gail Wright.

33 Points: Cathy Coverdale.

32 Points: Dee Kottnig.

28 Points: Kay Bergiel.

27 Points: Edna Atkinson.

26 Points: Pris Freeman.

N.T.P.’s: 4^th Edna Atkinson, 9^th Dee Kottnig, 11^th Gail Wright, 16^th Jenny Albertson.

Next Game Half Moon Bay 31 July

All,

Our next game is a single stableford Consistency event at Half Moon Bay.

The course is in good condition, we are expected & if you want a sandwich after the game, you can pre-order it as before.

The game is sponsored by Brothers Leagues Club.

See you there.

Louis

PS Where does time go?  Our Championships start in August with the first round  at Atherton on 7 Aug. 

Only those players who have been financial for a period of 2 months & who have played in at least 3 event prior to the start date are eligible to take part.  However, they can still play in the day event.

President's Report & Results Millaa Millaa 24 July

Hi All,

We had 55 Members arise early today and travel to the Tablelands and try their luck at Millaa Millaa Golf Course. The early part of the day was cool and overcast and generally, the weather stayed that way for most of the morning before a misty rain started and stayed for the latter part of the game. The course was in good condition and again it seems remarkable to me how these smaller clubs with limited resources can produce and present the courses in the condition they do. Our thanks go to Don McHardie, Hughie behind the bar and to Patsy who looked after us with tea, coffee and raisin toast when we arrived.

The 55 stalwarts, who consisted of 42 men and 13 ladies, were competing in the second round of the Patron’s Trophy which is held over the nine-hole courses at which we play. We had some very good scores and these are detailed below in the Results. Again, our organisation was very well supported by Darren Golder, the franchise owner of DRUMMOND GOLF, CAIRNS, one of our long-term and valued sponsors. Winners are reminded that the voucher they will receive have an expiry date of one month unless a later date can be negotiated with Darren.

Whilst we had no new Members join this week, it was great to welcome for another stint with us, Rex and Joy White from Wingham in N.S.W. They have been continuing visitors to the F.N.Q. Vets for a number years now, enjoying the winter sunshine. Unfortunately, at the same time we were welcoming Rex and Joy, we were saying a fond farewell to, Rhoda and Lance Pedrana, another pair of “Grey Nomads” from N.S.W. We wish them a safe trip back South.

It was great to see the numbers of members who stayed after the game. Even though some may have been a little damp and a bit chilly, no doubt the obvious camaraderie of all made things more pleasant.

Next week’s game is at Half Moon Bay. I have spoken to Greg, the Manager, and he has told me that members will be able to pre-order food in the same way as last visit. We will be competing in another round of the Consistency Trophy.

See you there,

Greg

“El Presidente”.

TODAY’S RESULTS

MEN

DIVISION I

Winner: Russ Gill, 43 points.

Runner Up: Peter Clarke, 37 points.

DIVISION II

Winner: Brian Norris, 39 points.

Runner Up: Darryl DeClifford, 38 points.

BALL RUNDOWN:

37 Points: Rick Gooderham, Brian Rowan, Peter Johnston.

36 Points: Peter Edmonds.

35 Points: Ross Ellen, Vaughan Smith, Keith Schirmer.

34 Points: Dennis Lankester, Tom Finch, Lionel Law, Graham Roberts.

33 Points: Neil Sharkey, Bruce Jenner, John Lombard, Robin Tonks.

N.T.P.’s: 1/10th John Hall, 5/14^th Peter Clark, 6/15^th Lance Pedrana.

LADIES

Winner: Tessa Meyer, 37 points.

Runner Up: Lois Tait, 36 points.

BALL RUNDOWN:

35 Points: Suda Woodward.

34 Points: Joy White.

32 Points: Liz Edmonds.

31 Points: Andrina Wilson.

30 Points: Maria Ling.

N.T.P.’s: 1/10th Suda Woodward, 5/14^th Tracy Dickinson, 6/15^th Tessa Meyer.

Next Game Millaa Millaa 24 July

All,

Our next game is the second round of our Patron's Trophy & is a single stableford at Millaa Millaa.

The game is sponsored by Drummond Golf Cairns.

I'm sure the course will be well presented as usual & hopefully Lois will not spend so much timein the water there!

Don't forget registration starts later at 0730 to give everyone time to get there so you can have a long lie in.

Louis

Lois fishing at Babinda

President's Report & Results Cairns 17 July

Hi everybody,

Today was a beautiful day for golf and the course at Cairns was in excellent condition and this resulted in some very good scores. We had 105 starters today, consisting of 80 men and 25 ladies all playing for our separate Men’s and Ladies’ Consistency Trophies.

We had three new members join us today. They were Graham Roberts and Celia Fox from Cairns and Sandy Caplick from Gordonvale. A sincere welcome is extended to you all and it is hoped you have an enjoyable time with the F.N.Q. Vets. We also had four visitors play today, Peter Stevens from Victoria, Ron and Adie Crispin from New Zealand and Debra Smith from Innisfail.

The day was sponsored by HEALTH AND FITNESS SOLUTIONS. Scott, the principal of the company, was due to attend our presentation and present the trophies but was unavoidably detained. For those of you who are thinking about doing a little bit extra to extend your presence on this planet, Scott runs all types of programs to cater for all ages and for those who have developed all types physical aches and pains.

I will be conducting further inquiries this week re the alleged function that was to be held at the Club after our presentation. I was told by various Committee personnel, including Vice President Robin, that I had to shorten my address so that we could vacate the premises in short order so the other function could proceed. I still have the feeling that this could have been a ploy by the V.P. to curtail my inalienable right to pursue freedom of speech. Members should not worry that they’ve missed out because I’ll double up next week at Millaa Millaa.

Speaking of Millaa Millaa, registration for next week’s game will be from 7.30am to 8.30am. This will allow those travelling from afar a little bit of a sleep-in and allow the volunteers to prepare the course and, if required, clear the frost off the greens. The Millaa Millaa members are looking forward to our trip to their picturesque course and are hoping for a good roll-up.

Take care and have a safe trip to Millaa Milla,

Greg.

“El Presidente”.

LATE NEWS: Cairns Club Manager, Matt Boland, confirmed that there was a function booked following us, so I apologise to any Committee man or woman who may feel aggrieved by my assertions. (I’ll still be doubling up next week.)(Not if VP has any say! Ed.)

TODAY’S RESULTS

MEN

DIVISION I

Winner: Roger Glover, 40 points.

Runner Up: Dave Lawler, 39 points.

DIVISION II

Winner: Bryan Guest, 39 points C/B.

Runner Up: John Gregan, 39 points.

BALL RUNDOWN.

37 Points: Ron Crispin, Lionel Law.

36 Points: Trevor Barry, Allan Dredge, Greg Gibb.

35 Points: Neil Hamilton, Graham Ross, Doug Christison, John Everall, Darryl Caplick, Bill Matthews, Garry Castle, Keith Schirmer, Bruce Jenner.

34 Points: John Tolhurst, Merv Elms, Peter Anderson.

33 Points: Peter Doherty, Evert Van Kleef, Neil Sharkey, Graham Roberts, Albert Smith, Geoff Thomas, Lance Pedrana, Dave Morrison.

32 Points: Lou Siedle, George Studham, Bob Billingham, Neil Arnott, Peter Edmonds, Craig Alman, George Kyriazis, Brian Norris.

N.T.P.’s: 5^th Dave Lawler & Garry Castle (in the hole), 8^th Neil Hamilton, 11^th Geoff Barford, 17^th George Cooley.

LADIES

Winner: Rhoda Pedrana, 35 points.

Runner Up: Liz Edmonds (Birthday Girl), 34 points.

BALL RUNDOWN

32 Points: Debra Smith, Julie Wallace.

31 Points: Maria Ling, Andrina Wilson.

29 Points: Tessa Meyer, Belle Gillan, Jan Wundersitz, Kay Cleland, Judy Guzzwell.

N.T.P.’s: 5^th Debra Smith (in the hole), 8^th Judy Guzzwell & Debra Smith (in the hole) 11^th Andrina Wilson, 17^th Celia Fox.

Next Game Cairns 17 July

All,

Our next game is a single stableford Consistency event at Cairns golf club.

The game is sponsored by Complete Health & Fitness Solutions & hopefully owner Scott Payne will be able to join us there.

I'm told the greens are in good condition & fast.

See you there.

Louis

President's Report & Results Babinda 10 July

Babinda awoke today to overcast skies and a chilly breeze come from the South and this remained until the sun poked through about 11.15am. Luckily there was no rain accompanying the cloudy sky as Babinda and the golf course have experienced enough rain for this year.

The continuous rain and lack of sunshine has been the major cause of the deterioration of some of the greens, much to the chagrin of Wal Anthony, Peter Penny, Chris Hannam and the other Babinda volunteers who work so hard to try and produce a course of which they can be proud. (There is no truth in the rumour that Wal fled overseas to escape from the disappointment he was feeling. He had made arrangements for the trip to watch Wimbledon and the Open some months previously.) The rest of the course was in good condition without the normal amount of run although the drains were running freely, a fact that can be verified by your President who visited three of them.

63 Veteran Golfers faced the starter’s gun today with 48 colts and 15 fillies making up the field. These included Ron and Adie Crispin from New Zealand who we were happy to welcome after about a 1 year absence. The sponsor for today’s event was WAL ANTHONY, a member of the Vets. whose beautiful hand-made tables were on display before the game. This game was was Round 1 of the Patron’s Trophy which is held over the rounds played at the 9 hole courses, Babinda and Millaa Millaa.

Both myself and Vice President Robin, as well as other Committee members, have been regaled with nothing but praise over how much those who attended Mirage last Friday, enjoyed themselves. The over-riding sentiment was the camaraderie exhibited by players staying on after the Shotgun Start and just chatting with each other. We will endeavour to arrange another game in a similar vein later in the year.

There has been an approach from Paradise Palms members to their Club for the Vets to hold a game at that course. Initial contact has been made with the Club and they have made an offer of $55 per person (cart included), a minimum of 75 players. Further information is to be obtained but having a minimum limit on numbers may mean that a full upfront non-refundable payment may need to be paid by interested players. Further information will be disseminated when it comes to hand. Any initial thoughts from members can be taken to any of the Committee.

Looking forward to seeing you all at Cairns next Tuesday,

Greg.

“El Presidente”

TODAY’S RESULTS

MEN

DIVISION I

Winner: Allan Dredge, 37 points.

Runner Up Mark Buckle, 36 points.

BALL RUNDOWN

34 Points: Peter Jackson, Barry Vining.

33 Points: Kevin Walsh, Alan Dwyer.

32 Points: Tom Finch, Lou Siedle, Chris Hannam. John Gregan, George Atkinson.

31 Points: Steve Edwards, Ross White, Bruce Jenner, Robin Tonks.

30 Points: Trevor Gordon, Rod Ingram, Garry Castle, Peter Fox.

N.T.P.’s: 2/11 Tom Finch, 5/14 Ron Sylvester, 8/17 Chris Hannam.

LADIES

Winner: Tracy Dickinson, 31 points.

Runner Up: Edna Atkinson, 28 points.

BALL RUNDOWN

28 Points: Marg Finch.

26 Points: Andrina Wilson.

25 Points: Claire Hannan.

24 Points: Julie Wallace.

23 Points: Suda Woodward, Maria Ling.

N.T.P.’s 2/11 Marg Finch, 4/13 Tracy Dickinson, 5/14 Lil Benfield.