ACTIVE OUTDOORS

from Seniors Today Central Queensland - 1st December 2021

OUT AND ABOUT ...pages 13

Dad’s Army enjoy a round

By Tania Phillips

You are never too old to play golf as a group of players at Rockhampton prove every Tuesday.

The group, affiliated with the Rockhampton Golf Club, are known as Dad’s Army and meet each week to play nine holes of golf.

It’s a social affair according to captain Lance Cowan and a great way to enjoy a game of golf with friends.

“The group is called the Dad’s Army Social Golf Club and we’re affiliated with the Rockhampton Golf Club,” he said.

“I think the group has been going for 25-30 years – I can tell that by the annual trophy that we’ve got. “The names certainly go back quite a way.

“At the moment because we’ve had a couple of runs in the CQ Today paper we’ve built our numbers up from nine to 13. I’m relatively new to the Dad’s Army Group myself. My wife and I retired and moved to Rockhampton in 2017 and I’d always interested in playing golf more than I had been when we were living in Brisbane.

“I met up with the group one Tuesday morning and found them to be a really nice bunch of guys and lo-and-behold now I’m the captain of the group.

“Our youngest guy is 66 and our oldest is 94. We’re not brilliant golfers but we just enjoy the game and we just enjoy each other’s company.”

The Club plays every Tuesday over nine holes alternating between the front nine and back nine at the Rockhampton Golf Course.

“We each make a contribution to the fields because of our affiliation with Rockhampton Golf Club and the other half of the fees that we pay go into our kitty for our Christmas Break-up and the Trophy Presentation,” Lance said.

“Normally through out the year we will find time to have a barbecue around June or July and our wives are invited to both social events.

“We don’t exclude women it’s just that no one has ever made an approach to join us. We discussed it last year when numbers and activity dropped away because of Covid. I asked the guys and they said we’re not adverse to having the ladies join the group.”

The group is all about getting out, enjoying the weather and staying fit.

“And after we’ve had our round we adjourn to the club house – through no particular reason we just drink soft drinks and or milk drinks, sit around and chat and try and solve the problems of the world for an hour or so and then we go off home,” he said.

They are always looking for new members.

“We did get down to about nine and that’s a bit low but through Liam’s efforts (in CQ Today) I got three new members the first week he ran it and I had another one phone me up this week so we’re probably up to 13 now,” Lance explained.

“A sensible number for a group like us would be 16, four groups of four would be good.”

Dad’s Army members Don Hutton, Blair Horner and Lance Cowan.

Remembering the past: A sporting Jack of all trades

By Tania Phillips

John Patrick “Jack” O’Donnell was one of those sporting all-rounders who was kept busy all year round on the field.

Jack was a handy cricketer but it was as a footballer that he is currently being remembered.

Though he is no longer with us the talented half-back has just been named in the Norths Chargers team of the Century.

It’s an honour his son – 93-year-old Bryan O’Donnell – a keen sportsman in his day as well – is justifiably proud of.

“He started playing in 1923 and played throughout the Twenties,” Bryan said of his father.

“He played as halfback – I wouldn’t say he was small, he was a stuffy joker, probably about five-eight. He finished playing in 1931.”

Bryan admitted his was a bit surprised when he found out from current Norths Chargers president Michael Jeffcoat that his dad had made the team. “I always knew he was a good player – they asked him to go to England when the Pommies came out here but he didn’t want to go. He was tied up in here,” he said of his father who was a plumber by trade.

“I went to a couple of his games – I was only little, four or five. I played myself from ’48-’51 – I played on the wing, then I went into the centres and then I went into the forwards. I was a bit of a utility player.

“Football was in my blood in those days, there was nothing much else to do. My dad was there when I first kicked off with Centrals, he coached us for a while, we thought he was a good coach. The boys used to try to have a fight every game, the game has changed a lot since then,” he chuckled. “It’s much better – no fighting now.”

Bryan said while he played a bit of football – he played a lot of cricket and so did Jack.

“He was a good cricketer, a good batsmen – every time he batted he got a hundred,” he said. Both Bryan and Jack played for Kalka Cricket Club with Jack having a shed built I his memory.

“I’m not sure if he played grade cricket but he played social cricket. Kalka had a team and they travelled all over the country here – took some beating, still did when I was playing. I was an all-rounder – I started off as fast bowler, I used to change my pace, one ball would be fast and the next ball would be medium and the next would be slow – change of pace all the time.”

Jack died of a heart attack at the age of 58 but Bryan is still going strong at 93 though he’s only watching sport these days.

“Yeah I knocked off playing cricket when I was about 65,” he says like it’s something everyone does.

“I was in good nick. I still watch the cricket – I like watching the girls player I think they’re better than the men. The men seem to go out have a bash while the girls play cricket.”

Bryan’s daughter Brenda Mooney was initially contacted by the football club about her grandfather’s honour and was able to put the club in touch with Bryan.

She said her father and grandfather were both dedicated sportsmen.

“Dad followed in his father’s footsteps playing for the Kalka Cricket Club,” she said.

“Dad looked after the wicket like it was his child, mowing and watering. I would help him mark the wicket for the games. We used to mix up the lime and prepare the wicket.”

Bryan still enjoys watching all forms of cricket and is a dyed-in-the-wool Bronco’s supporter.

“I think they’ll do well this year!”

Bryan O’Donnell and Michael Jeffcoat chat about Bryan’s dad Jack.

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