Easts form reversal nets outright win

By Tim Howard

A dramatic reversal of fortunes has earned GDSC Easts outright points in the Premier League clash with Coutts Crossing at Ellem Oval Grafton on Saturday.

After losing on the frst innings by just two runs, Easts showed why it is the competition titleholder, chasing down 148 in its second innings to secure the eight points up for grabs.

It was not total doom for Coutts, which received seven points for its frst innings win.

The Easts chase was built around a hard hitting dig of 49 from frst drop Aidan Tredennick.

He was in on the third ball of the innings when aggressive all-round Shannon Connor was caught on the midwicket fence for a second ball duck.

Connor left the feld muttering his disappointment as he nailed a pull shot that few straight to the felder Coutts had placed there specifcally for that shot.

But that was the last good news for their cause.

Tredennick came in and belted a six and a four in that over to set the tone for the Easts run chase.

He was fnally out for 49, but with opener Chris Chamberlain scoring 44 and Sean Whaites nailing a quick 34, Easts got the job done.

Coutts player Andrew McLachlan said the second innings had not gone to plan for his team.

“We planned to bat at least to 5pm, but didn’t make it that far and that gave them enough time to chase down our score,” he said.

“It was just one of those days for us. Every time we moved a felder, the ball went there.

“We got Shannon early, but Aiden came in and hit the ball all over the park from the frst delivery.”

He said all the bowlers copped some stick, but Hayden Woods picked up a couple of wickets as Easts reached 5/148.

At Ulmarra Lawrence was in complete control of the game against Tucabia Copmanhurst, but couldn’t take wickets quickly enough to secure outright points.

Lawrence resumed at 4/79 chasing Tucabia’s frst innings 119 and didn’t lose any more wickets they were well in front.

Not out batter Doug Harris belted 89 and his partner Rowan Green fnished on 48no as Lawrence raced to 7/247 before sending Tucabia back in.

They lost an early wicket, but Andrew Ellis, 27 and Rohan Hackett batted stubbornly taking the score to 48.

Hackett found a strong ally in Travis Anderson who score 50 and nearly batted out the innings.

At 4/129 Tucabia and a few runs in front, Tucabia looked to have comfortably avoided the outright, but there was a sting in the tail of the innings.

Luke Moloney took 3/7 in four overs to get the Tucabia hearts racing, but stumps came too early for the visitors to do any more damage.

Harris and Chris Townson each picked up a couple of wickets.

On Saturday Coutts is back at Ellem Oval to play Tucabia in the fnal two-day before Christmas.

At JJ Lawrence Field Turf Easts and Lawrence also play in a two-day game.

01.12.2023 BALLINA MAHJONG RESULTS

1. Sally Lowry, 2. Jan Small, 3. Susan Allan, 4. Lesley Ritchie, 5. Jan Rhodes, 6. Rosemary Russell, 7. Lisa Wong, 8. Barbara Ellan, 9. Janene Jarvis, Carol Meyer, 11. Ronda Taylor, 12. Jeanette Henwood, 13. Vanessa Reynolds, 14. Val Heinritz, 15. Valda McLerie, 16. Pam Farrell, Shirley Atkinson, 18. Jan Henley, Pauline Bolte, 20. Gladys D’Anna, 21. Ramsay Roper, Yvonne Weddup, Kath Hubbard, 24. Shirley Coleman, 25. Susan

Scott, 26. Shirley Henry, 27. Gail McDonagh,

28. Coral Lavelle, 29. Jane Fenech, 30. June Greenaway, 31. Cindy Smith, 32. Sarah Bull, 33. Jan Boardman, 34. Lynda Lovett.

CASINO RSM

WOMENS BOWLS RESULTS

C. Haynes winner of the Major singles & is queen of the green for 2023

On Wednesday 29/11 the winners of the day on the highest aggregate were:

K. McKay & C. Haynes def M. Jordan & M. Hellyar

Congratulations

The other rink winners were:

T. Maxwell, J. Creighton & M. Mead def J. Carthew, D. Skinner & K. Jonsson

J. Cooke & I. Watson

13/12

CHERRY STREET CROQUET CLUB SPORTS RESULTS

RICOCHET CROQUET :

J Doust J.Hannigan 12 d

C.Edlund N.Poynting 7

B.Waters C.Lane 7 d

J.Copeland H.Young 7

G Kerr D.Scott 11 d

P.Waters R.Chapman 7

R.Poynting N.Barnes 10 d N.Watts P.Scott 9

D.Jones M.Russell 11 d

J.Hannigan 10 d P. Scott A.Mangan 11

ACA Under 21 Queensland Bronze Medal

Addison Matthews 1st, Tim Wright 2nd. Twilight Social Golf

Croquet Tuesday afternoons 3.30pm all welcome.

Coraki Veterans Golf Results

THURSDAY 30/11/23 winners J Nilsson, S Ormond, B McDonald,A Ganter T Woods, J Kelly, K Osborne, M Fairfull, W Lunnon, I Welch, E Reddell, D Ryan, T Doyle, D Vagne, G O,Connor, A Parr. def C. Doyle & A. James

We are having our Xmas lunch & presentations on Wednesday 6/12

Our fnal week of bowling for 2023 is the

J.Bate R.Chapman 14 d

N.Poynting N.Watts 14

H.Young 15 d M.Field 11

G.Kerr R.Poynting 13 d

P.Bolte D.Scott 10

N.Barnes J.Copeland 13

Well 59 starters played the single stableford club handicap ham winner R Rodda, vets ham winner G Tait, luckey card draw ham

B Collyer, 2nd J Braby, 3rd D Knox, free game

G Flaherty, chicken/ball

Nearest pins 3rd/12th J Nilsson, 6th/15th T Perkins. Golfers please note this Thursday will be the Monthly Medal for December and for all the summer months hit off time will 8.00am don,t be late.

AS USUAL TILL THEN GOOD GOLFING Max

By Tim Howard

Grafton will relive one of its most tragic days –the drowning of 13 Cub Scouts in the Clarence River off Susan Island –on Sunday

On Sunday at 5pm, at roughly the time 80 years ago when a punt carrying 29 Cub Scouts capsized while returning the boys from a day of fun and activities on the island.

In the ensuing chaos 13 of the boys – most not profcient swimmers –drowned.

Freelance author Peter Langston has researched the event and put together this description of what led up to and what happened after those frantic minutes.

“That Saturday - two weeks before a war Christmas in 1943 - the 1st Grafton Scout Troop was to have Christmas parties in different groupings on Susan Island, a long, reasonably narrow island in the Clarence River, between Grafton and South Grafton.

“The main group of boy scouts were engaged with scout master Ian Malcolm, while the younger group of cub scouts were enjoying fun activities like treasure hunts with their leader, 17-year-old Charlie Penn, who was a King’s Scout and had won every honour possible for his age in the scouting movement and was highly regarded in the general community.

“About 4pm, two scouting friends of Penn - Rex Oxenford and Jimmy Doust - swam across the Clarence from Oxenford’s grandfather’s place to Susan Island, to fulfl a promise to Penn and assist in bringing the cub scouts back across the Clarence in a punt owned by Oxenford’s grandfather’s company. The larger scout foodboat was unavailable, having been found to be unseaworthy due to vandalism the night before.

“The majority of the cubs had come across the Clarence with Penn that morning. The punt was wooden, with a shallow draft. It was 4.9m long, about 1m wide at either end and slightly wider at the centre. The punt had no propulsion but oars and carried a passenger cargo of young boys wearing back packs and most wore leather shoes.

“The vast majority either could not swim or were hardly competent to tread water. Oxenford suggested two trips but Penn felt confdent they could make one, as the water was calm, despite an approaching storm from the south-west.

“This proved true until the boat escaped the lee of the wind caused by the large trees on Susan Island and the water became choppy and the strength of the wind apparent.

Penn had his oarsmen, Oxenford and Doust, point the craft into the approaching waves, but the craft was sluggish under the load and its freeboard was only three inches. (Freeboard is the distance from the water line on a boat up to the top of the side. It should have been seven inches.)

Penn ordered Doust and Oxenford into the water to get behind the boat and push with their considerable leg power.

“Two things happened almost in unison.

“Some of the younger boys panicked at the and not skylarking. They then raised the alarm, rushing to the shore and launching any craft they could fnd, borrow or even steal. Constable Anderson raised another water for more than 45 minutes effecting rescues and performing resuscitations on rescue boats, and Penn, who carried on despite near drowning.

“Fifteen boys were saved but 13 drowned, the last of them dragged from the water by grappling hooks until the head count was reconciled at 10pm.” daylight saving) from when the boat capsized.

The Clarence River Historical Society has organised a lunch at the Grafton District Services Club from midday on Monday. where invited guests will hear addresses from dignitaries and perhaps from a survivor.

Mr Tranter said one of the two remaining surviving boys, local identity Fred Schwinghammer, had died recently and there was only one survivor of the tragedy still alive.

The SES will take current Cub Scouts to the approximate point in the river where it occurred. The names of the children who drowned will be read out and at 5.20pm wreaths will be placed on water.

• The boys

• Robert Wilkes, 10, Grafton.

• Allan Tobin, South Grafton

• Robert Rennie, 10, Grafton.

• Keith Rennie, 8, Grafton

• Dale Thornbourne, 10, South Grafton.

• Graham Corbett, 9, South Grafton.

• Cecil Lambert, 8, Grafton.

• Raymond Retchford, Grafton

• Allan Spicer, South Grafton.

• William Robert Dillon, South Grafton

• Brian Munns, South Grafton

• Raymond Morris, 8, South Grafton

• Richard John Steinhours, 8, South Grafton sight of the older scouts going over the side and moved to one side as a larger wave broke over the boat and swamped it. In the ensuing panic, the boat capsized, throwing the remaining 29 boys into the water.

The drownings and the revelations most of the boys were either poor or non-swimmers shocked the Grafton community. Within weeks the Grafton City Council was discussing the need for a community swimming pool where children could be taught to swim safely.

“Bowlers at the nearby green, including police inspector BH Baxter, heard screams but it took a few minutes to realise the boys were in trouble rescue group from around the Crown Hotel. Meanwhile, the cubs turned to their older Scouts and splashed or dog paddled to them in any way they could, fve and six clinging to them and sinking them to the channel foor.

“There were many heroes that afternoon but none more than Oxenford and Doust, who were in the

“We’re working with the family to see if he can attend,” Mr Tranter said earlier this month.

From about 2pm the commemoration moves to the river side and Memorial Park, where marquees will be erected for offcials and guests.

Part of the service will be an account of Fred Schwinghammer’s life.

The culmination of the service will occur from 5pm, 80 years to the hour (allowing for

But it was 10 years before a site for the pool could be agreed upon and another year before construction commenced.

The pool site is now a construction zone as work has commenced on building the $30 million Regional Aquatic Centre on the site.

The pool was closed in September 2022 when it was years of water leaks from the pool had made the pool sit unsafe.