Alan Logan has been bombarding the Board with suggestions to raise the profile and history of the club. I have been more than happy to help given the large amount of material I have generated that remains un-read by most. The same could be said of the invaluable work of former Secretary, Peg Hocking, who has done such a lot in preserving the pictorial and written records of the club. Somehow a way should be found to make this freely available to interested members.
Alan has always been intrigued by the memorial seat to be found on the 14th tee box that is dedicated to Steven Barry Ross (1959-2014) and carries the words, “Sit down and take a brake (sic.) WAITING FOR A BUS! BUGGER.”
Anthony has provided the answer. Steven was playing social golf when he died while playing the 12th. The Committee of the time was happy to accede to the family’s request for the installation of the seat. The family is still in contact with Anthony and grateful for his efforts that day.
There is an interesting footnote to this. Well after this story was written Alan found himself playing in a Vet’s comp with Steven’s brother-in-law. Quite a coincidence.
I don’t remember this but Alan does The dam on the 1st for a long time was called, “the Keith Anderson WaterHole.” He got in contact with his son, also Keith, and a Gazette journalist, who well remembers the controversy surrounding its construction. In those days the hole was a par five ending up near the current 7th with the tee box probably deeper than where it is now. The hole was a dog leg around a substantial stand of trees which, naturally, players would try to avoid by cutting the corner – directly over the 8th green. Barry Cunningham, who, in much later times, threatened legal action over a similarly dangerous situation near the 14th, would have had a fit at the danger this presented.
The Committee recognised the problem and came up with a novel but highly contentious solution: install white posts to indicate an internal OOB. For many, and I think, the governing body of Victoria Golf at the time, this was illegal. Interestingly, when we had 27 holes the Committee came up with a similar solution when the big boys discovered that the best way to approach the 6th green was from the middle of the 4th fairway. Whether either was legal or not is moot; it didn’t solve the problem the danger of cutting the corner on the 1st presented.
But maybe a dam would. This is where it gets particularly interesting. Keith Junior does not remember the decision going formally to the Committee although it did have majority support. His father served on the Committee at different times from 1961 to 1973 and included a time as Captain. He was asked to enlist Mick de Vries, whose brother, Peter, was later Captain and a member still after more than sixty years, to get to work with his bulldozer. The work only took a day or two but many were surprised when they arrived on Saturday to discover a new hazard had mysteriously appeared. Are you surprised that this did not go unnoticed and that there was “discussion” in the club house afterwards?
Quickly though the wisdom of the move was recognised and was named in Keith Senior’s honour.
The story doesn’t quite end there. In my time the dam was extended so that the big hitters had a real risk-reward hole for what had become the par four hole we know today. Take the dam on and die or prosper. Of course, for most of us we aim for the tree on the left and accept that a birdie will only come our way with a long, good approach shot. Glenn Mallon would agree although he ignored the invitation to keep left with his tee shot. His drive ended in the dam but because of the drier conditions still had a shot which of course he nailed and made the putt. Glenn could be very annoying sometimes.
Finally, with the decision announced to create a new dam on the 17th this should be noted. Committees and dams at Drouin haven’t always been good bedfellows. Hughie Mapleson in his memoir, “The Dust Never Settles” tells of the Committee at the time being quite surprised to turn up one day to discover that construction of a dam between the sixth and seventh which they had vetoed on cost grounds was well underway. It was done as much to lower the water table as to store water. It was fed in part by an old water course that started near the club house, continued past the current dam and then across the 17th fairway presumably where the new dam is to be located and then exited the course where the drain is located on the 12th.
When the dam between the 7th and 6th was enlarged it was to be fed by water to be pumped (and still is) from a holding dam constructed on the creek running alongside the now 3rd hole. We only did it because we were advised that we had to by the water authorities. Their advice was wrong.
The dam on the 15th seems to have led a reasonably clean life except that a broken club was once observed swimming there, that it is rather deep and that the occasional hay bale you see is an old farmer’s trick to reduce the algae which, if true, seems preferable to chemicals.
Enough of dams. Let’s get back to dry land and other plaques.
I have written before about the Jack Cuthbertson Function Room and the Gerry Butler Lounge Bar so I won’t go over old ground. However, near the 9th is a water fountain dedicated to Gerry Butler. Fair enough but it also remembers his wife, Monica which is even more fair enough. For both, the club was so important and they both gave so much.
And then there is the Joe Collins fountain located near the 1st tee box. Joe was made a Life member in 1989, he was President for three years and served on the Committee in some capacity for most years between 1973 and 1986.
As Monty Python said, “And now for something different.”
As you come through the gates to the course you have no doubt wondered about the origins of the name, “Matthew Bennett Park? You haven’t? Well let me enlighten you. Bennett was a Country Party politician (forerunner of the National Party) who for many years was the local MP in the 1920’s and 30’s. Exactly what his involvement with the Park was I don’t know. The area is crown land and for many years has been home to the Race Club. During WW2 it was an army camp. At a later stage it was where the Aboriginals of the Jackson Track settlement were re-located with quite unhappy consequences for many. Peter De Vries remembers the site being used for junior footy. It was also home to a motor-cycle club scramble. But, most importantly it has been the battle ground for nearly seventy years between the Golf and Racing Clubs – a story which deserves its own chapter.
Now back to some serious golf stuff.
Have you noticed that the tulip tree planted at the corner of the practice putting green is dedicated to Geoff Wadham and taken from his garden? He was a Life Member (1976), five-times President and served on the Committee from 1957 to 1985. He was one of the many who re-established the club after 1955 and then saw us through some difficult times. For that we should all be grateful.
There was another side to Geoff apart from his distinctive laugh. During WW2 he served in the air force on bombing raids over Germany. The casualty rate was horrendous. Maybe with this background it is no surprise Geoff worked so hard to preserve the club and enjoyed the comfort of a garden.
Also near the putting green is a plaque commemorating Phil Dent who died at an unfortunately too young age. It was installed by his mates. I only had brief contact with Phil but he was one of the most gifted athletes I have encountered. When we talk of footballers running on top of the ground it was Phil. Andrew Symonds was likened to a panther when fielding in the covers; that was Phil too.
Phil took to all sports with absolute ease. Golf was just one of them.
Near his plaque are two rose bushes. One is dedicated to Mary Clark, a local sporting identity who loved her golf and for many years ensured golfers did not die of thirst when they returned to the clubrooms. The other remembers Leanne Bambridge who was a wife to Anthony and mother to Lachie and Zac. Both died way too young.
Finally, there is no plaque for this and nor can there ever be one. When we had 27 holes, the 2nd, nominally a Par3, was dubbed, “the shortest Par 5 in all of Gippsland.” It was indeed a challenge. There were ponds on the left and right, for a while there was a bunker as well and in winter the area to the right was a bog. Oh, and the undulating green encouraged the ball to slip into the left- hand pond. To his eternal shame Lea Caldwell used to lay-up although he said it was just being sensible.
Unfortunately, it was where Doug Scott scored two holes-in-one. Now I have promoted the rumour that before the second he was heard to say, “I haven’t had a hole-in-one here for a while.” Not true but it is exactly the sort of thing he would say. He was/is a rogue.
My idea was to call it the “Doug Scott Memorial Hole.” No can do. He is still alive and the hole no longer exists.
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