Category: Club News

A wonderful hot Christmas lunch was enjoyed by about 60 members in the Clubrooms today and thanks must be given to those who planned, shopped, cooked, heated, stirred, set up, cleaned up, washed dishes, packed away etc etc etc.

We dined on turkey, pork and ham, accompanied by roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, pumpkin, peas and ham, baked onions, baked brussel sprouts, seasoning, apple sauce and gravy. Dessert was Plum Pudding (thanks, Glenis) or pavlova (thanks, Kym) and there were cherries to accompany these. Throw in a couple of group Carols, led by Glenis, and a good time was had by all.

Five tables of six players settled in to battle out our third Oktoberfest Quiz Night in the clubrooms last evening. Last year’s winners decided to call their table The Defenders and other tables were Dilligafs, The Winners, Mega Minds and That’s Us. After three rounds, The Defenders were leading with 24 points, with the other tables having 23, 22 or 21 points, so a very close competition. Another two rounds saw That’s Us join The Defenders in the lead with 41 points and these two teams were still tied after another two rounds and the end of the questions.

The remaining three teams were then tasked with writing a question for a tie breaker round for The Defenders and That’s Us and it was The Defenders who took out the prize, for the second successive year, but what a close competition.

Many thanks to those who joined in the fun and to Allan and Brett for looking after the bar and to Brett for his contribution to the prizes.

A lot of hands went up to support another Oktoberfest Quiz Night in 2023, so maybe same time, same place next year!!

Way back in mid March members tried to predict which AFL team would end up in ninth position in the Minor Premiership ladder. Carlton ended up in that position with 48 points and 108.3% and three members had tipped them to do so – Wendy, Glenis and Jan and the prize pool was shared out this evening at the October Melee. Marilyn had tipped the Bulldogs to do so and it was their percentage score of 108.9% that gave them the eighth position ahead of Carlton. St Kilda came in 10th with 44 points and 99.3% and they were Yvonne and Denis’s pick.

Thanks to all members who participated in the competition.

Prospect is well represented in the upcoming Interstate Challenge to be held at Mt Martha Petanque and Bowls Club, Victoria, at the end of August. They are Melissa Scott and Van Nguyen, who will team up with Lionel, Raja and Deb Rodda of Eastern Suburbs Petanque Club and Selena Dally of Novar Gardens. Both Melissa and Van have won State Singles Competitions earlier in the year.

We wish them every success in the competition and a safe and enjoyable trip.

During the Annual General Meeting, held in the Clubrooms on Wednesday 27 July, Life Membership was conferred on Marty Verdonk. Marty has been a Committee member since the inception of the Club, was Treasurer for some six years and continues to assist in so many ways. He ensures there is something for people to eat on a Wednesday evening, and organises the food at least twice each month. Marty also puts out and takes in the rubbish bins, and he also ensures the lawns are cut very regularly, particularly if there is to be a competition or function at the Club and he wages a constant war with any weeds that come up in the pistes. He willingly puts his hand up for projects that the Committee undertakes and maintains the clubhouse indoor painting with patch ups when marks are detected.

Congratulations and thanks, Marty, and we all look forward to your company (and assistance) for many more years to come.

Work on the new verandah has commenced, with the removal of the old verandah on Thursday and some new fascia boards have been installed. Work was halted on the construction, however, due to a hold up in the delivery of the required materials.

It looks better already!! Thanks to Prospect City Council for their support of this project. We look forward to posting photos of the new construction very shortly.

The Committee hosted an Afternoon Tea today to celebrate and recognise Van Nguyen’s and Melissa Scott’s success in last weekend’s State Singles Competition. Van took out the State Open Singles Competition and Melissa made it a back-to-back victory in the State Women’s Singles Competition, the first time that anyone has done this in SAPL Women’s competitions.

Go Prospect!

More than 60 members gathered for Christmas Lunch today, spread between inside the Club and the verandah to be within Covid-19 limitations. We were all treated to a complimentary drink at the bar to get the event rolling before we enjoyed the wonderful hot meal that the Committee had organised. We had pork, turkey, ham, roast potatoes, carrots and pumpkin, and a special turkey and pea dish, with every condiment imaginable (crackling, gravy, cranberry and apple sauce to name a few.)

Dessert was home made plum pudding, with custard and/or ice cream and/or pavlova topped with cream and seasonal fruit. Before dessert was served, we had a rousing rendition of an Aussie Twelve Days of Christmas with koalas and kangaroos being gifted rather than the more traditional partridge and pear tree. It all made for a great atmosphere and good cheer. To finish off the meal, a cheese platter was available.

Many thanks to those who contributed in setting up the clubrooms, preparing and serving the food and clearing up afterwards.

The 2021 Christmas Melee had an Australiana/Christmas theme and members came suitably dressed; we even had Sheila Be Right with her purple hair with us.

Members could have thought they had gone to the top restaurant in Australia, rather than Prospect Petanque Club, as they enjoyed the fabulous, flavoursome, varied and plentiful food provided by Wendy, ably assisted by Alan, for last evening’s Christmas Melee Dinner. There were five different Hor d’oeuvres, all delicious and delivered by Alan to keep us all Covid safe. His head must have been spinning as he went round and round the clubrooms so many times to get it all to us.

Main course was Baked Ham, Chicken and Pistachio Terrine and Vegetable Terrine and accompanied by delicious and wonderful sauces and salads. As if that wasn’t all, dessert comprised Boiled Orange, Blood Lime and Macadamia Cake with Chocolate Gelato or Raspberry, Cinnamon Myrtle Gelato – all home made by Wendy. Delicately decorated Christmas biscuits were also available, individually wrapped, if you could possibly fit another thing in. Or you could take a biscuit or two home with you.

Many thanks and congratulations to Wendy for her wonderful menu and to Alan, and to Grant who assisted with preparations during the day.

During all of this eating, two games of Petanque were played and we will hear the winner of the Spring competition at our next Melee.

The evening concluded with some performances from Club members. The Big Bash Bush Band delivered My Old Man’s a Dustman, accompanied by an Eski drum, a Lager phone, washboard and an Irish Bodhran drum, followed by a reading from John Clarke – A Child’s Christmas in Warrnambool, and The Christmas Carolers trio with their humorous take on a classic.

A great night to get the Christmas spirit happening in our beautifully decorated Clubrooms and it certainly assisted to lighten some heavy hearts, having just learned of the sudden passing of Committee Member, Anna Phillips. Vale Anna.

For the third year in succession, Free the Bears gathered at Prospect Petanque for a fundraiser and a night of fun. Two games were played, with supper between them and much laughter and cheer rang through the pistes. There were even prizes for the first and second most successful teams.

The Free the Bears Fund (FBF) is an Australian charitable wildlife-protection organisation. It was started by Mary Hutton, after she watched a documentary in 1993 on bears kept in small cages for bile farming. Free the Bears provides lifelong care to over 240 rescued sun bears and moon bears in their sanctuaries in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. 

Fundraising during the evening ranged from a raffle, pick the lucky number and the sale of donated prizes.