Another year over, a new one just begun

New Years Eve 2009.

It began in Victor Harbor. Just after 8 a.m. history was made. The Roberts family - Bill, Graham, Russell and Lynda - hit the fairway at Victor Harbor Golf Club. It was the first time the four of us had played together in a competition, and probably the first time we had all played golf together.

Victor Harbor is the home course of Bill and Lynda, and father is well known at the club where he has been a member for over 20 years. Lynda has only commenced her membership this year.


The bird man is always popular, and attracts the magpies on a number of holes. By the time we got to the twelfth his stock of crumbs was still intact and sufficient to feed the crowd that gathered.

By the time we got to the twelfth the youngest member of the family had already set up a commanding lead with a birdie 2 on the 10th (4 stableford points) and a par on 11 for another 4 stableford points. Lynda hung on to her lead and get back to the clubhouse with 41 stableford points and a clear margin over the men. To win the day Lynda played 5 shots under her handicap and will lose a few strokes before she plays in another competition.

The octogenarian managed to finish the 18 holes in the heat (it got to 41 degrees at Encounter Bay) and performed creditably in difficult conditions with 32 points, about 4 shots over his handicap. That probably means that Lynda beat him off the stick!


After golf there was time for a quick bite and coffee before heading back to Melbourne. Until Horsham the weather was hot and storm clouds were brewing. From Horsham to Ararat the rain was torrential - good for a land in drought, but not for farmers in the middle of harvest. After hours of careful driving it was good to get back to Melbourne before the year was out.

2009 is now gone. The year of change is over and we prepare to resume work in mid-January in Tasmania.

We look forward to new opportunities, new challenges and new experiences as we settle into Hobart.

Family Connections

From a wedding in Melbourne we headed to wedding in Sydney. After months of travelling together Beth and I went in separate directions - Beth drove up with her parents while I went a little west to Orange to catch up with my brother and his family and t play a little golf on the way.

Fortunately Tocumwal Golf Club is on the way. A three night stopover was pleasant, with golf each day on the two well maintained courses. It is remarkable what can be done with an ample supply of recycled water.

At Orange it was more golf - with rounds at Orange Duntryleague, Wentworth Ex-Services, Blayney, and Cowra, as well as the odd nine holes at Orange Ex-Services either early in the morning or in the cool of the evening.

Five competitive rounds - and in the sibling contest I was second once more than I was first.



Considering the lack of water in Central NSW the Orange courses were in fairly good condition, although there is a lot of run on the fairways. For so many places the lack of water is having a devastating effect. Where recreation is concerned it is an issue that detracts from the experience. When it is your livelihood it can be a matter of financial survival. For golf clubs across the country the extended drought is tough but most will survive. For golfers we might just have to pay more to play golf, or get used to playing in less than ideal conditions.

Family and celebrations

One of the main reasons for being in Melbourne at this time is family - and especially family a family wedding.

Friday afternoon it was great to share at the wedding of Andy and Rachel. I cannot remember the last wedding I attended, and after six months of casual clothes putting on the glad rags for a wedding is a bit up-market. We did, and enjoyed the ceremony and the wedding breakfast.

The faith of the individuals and the families was evident in every aspect of the day. Among the highlights of the day were the speeches. Now it must be said that father of the groom (B.i.l. Bill) may need to add some brevity to his remarks. It is also something that yours truly can do some work on as well. The younger participants spoke exceptionally well - and with good humour allowed us to share some aspects of the journey to adulthood and this significant day. Well done guys.

The scary bit was thinking that these kids are now adults, holding down responsible jobs and exercising leadership in church and community. How can it be that my nephews (and my children) are now mature adults? They cannot possibly be old enough yet!

Sunday was a time to get back on deck and show some leadership myself. In a relaxed ceremony at Ocean Grove we gave thanks for the gift of Alana Ruth Kerr to her parents James and Loretta.
It was a privilege to share in the day, and see this young family and the community of friends that surround them.

In between I managed a round of golf at Whittlesea Golf Club. That was also cause for celebration bit that is another story.

Family connections - golf

After Nullarbor Links Victor Harbor offered green fairways and green greens. With an 82 year old father who plays competition golf twice a week (now on a gopher), a sister who got interested early this year, and a brother-in-law who got the bug as well it was inevitable that golf was on the agenda.


A little time on the practice fairway, three visits to Victor Harbor Golf Club and one to South Lakes (Goolwa) meant time to sort out a few golfing problems.

Sorting out problems and scoring well do not always go together, but at least I managed to play two good nines in competition. The only problem was that one was on Tuesday and one was on Thursday. Hope remains!

At least I was able to help my sister find some extra distance off the tee for a while. The problem was not paralysis by analysis, but there are times when we concentrate so hard on getting things right that we just fail to give the ball a good solid whack! One trap that I occasionally fall into (especially on narrow fairways) is trying to steer the ball 'down the middle'. The result is often far worse that standing on the tee and trusting my swing.

Enough of golf already (not really but this is not the place - see www.thisgolfinglife.com/graham)

Where was Beth all this time? Well she had unrestricted access to the laptop to work on photos and in movie maker. A lot of progress was made in sorting out the thousands of photos we took on our way around Australia.

Amby Adventure

As magnificent as our walk through the gorge was I spent time reflecting on the difference between his part of our year and the earlier stay in Africa. My one word answer is people.

On our way to Mitchell we stopped to check out the 'no horse' golf course at Amby I had read about. There I had some people time.

'Scrubber' and Paddy were packing up their golf cart when we arrived, but were happy to give it another run. We followed them across the railway tracks and on to the golf course. A few hours later our 9 holes was over, and 'Scrubber' beat me by 3. While local knowledge played some part, and my errors made it easier 'Scrubber's accuracy to the greens and ability to play on the 'sand greens' was decisive. Along the way I learned a little about life in the central west of Queensland. Thanks 'Scrubber'.

Why is it the 'no horse' golf course? The course was once the centre for lot of sports, including gymkhanas. With a decline in the population and change in the community the area is now exclusively given over exclusively to golf. Hoof marks and golf really don't go together.

Golf in Lusaka

Three months in Afica... three months without golf... three golf courses in Lusaka. With days running out the possibility of actually playing golf in Africa raised its head - so I checked out the golf clubs. As it turned out Lusaka was the best option...but getting information about access and cost was a problem.

Try the internet: no phone number and no reply to my email
Try the phonebook: no number listed
Call Zambia Tourism: their best advice was "Call directory information"
Call Directory Information: they gave me two numbers but neither of them worked!

So I rang a couple of the better hotels near the course - they had no contact numbers.
The most help I got came from the ex-captain of Chianama Hills Golf Club (his number was on the net). Roll up around 8 a.m., and it will cost around 60,000 kwacha. He was partly right...8.00 a.m. was a good time to roll up.

On the before we left Africa I fronted at Lusaka Golf Club at 7.30 a.m. Just on 10.00 a.m. I was in the clubhouse after playing 18 holes, with a score of ten over (no birdies, double bogey, bogey finish with 3 putts on the last!!!).
A nice course, relatively flat with some interesting holes, and greens that putted truly.

The cost...105,000 kwacha green fees, 50,000 for the caddy, 80,000 the hire of clubs, and 50,000 for a bag of pre-loved golf balls (and I used ONE!) - a total of around $60 AU.


Was it worth it? Yes, I have now played golf in Lusaka, AND supported a couple of Zambian families in the process.

Life's tough!

An early morning stroll....
across McCracken Golf Course......















down to the beach.......





























And then back via the Hindmarsh River estuary. It is a tough life!

Adventures in Paradise: Week 2

An early morning walk, some time at the golf course, time with family and our first swim of 2009....it's a tough life.

The week has had its highs and lows - the low being a very windy day. Not only did it make golf challenging, but we experienced the joy of clearing dust from the caravan afterwards.

The "Tour Down Under" was also in town that day. The wind made some sections of their ride very difficult, and last years winner exited the tour after a fall. Victor was awash with bikes and lycra - and parking was at a premium around the centre of town. My prime viewing spot amongst the crowds near the finish line provided a sense of the excitement, and a glimpse of the action. Those guys ride fast!

With the Australia Day weekend approaching the traffic is getting busier. We will enjoy the celebrations and continue to enjoy this lovely part of Oz.

My Wednesday quiet time friend has not returned... maybe the wind upset him (or her).