Newsletter 16 August 2024
In our newsletter this week..
- Vale Anne Baldwin
- Message from the Committee
- Club Charity Nomination
- John Brockwell's Column
- Wednesday Night Pizzas
- Upcoming Events
- Ian Morison
- Lighter Moments
- Grand Master Ranking Achievement
Vale Anne Baldwin
Very sadly I have to tell you that Anne Baldwin has passed away.
Anne has been a long term member of Canberra Bridge Club, and many if not most of you will have known her. She has been very committed to the Club and over the years has put time and effort in helping and improving the Canberra Bridge Club.
She has been my partner for many years, and has always been a pleasure to play with. She has always been patient and tolerant of any mistakes, and unfailingly pleasant and polite at the table. Bridge has always been an important part of her life, and she has helped and mentored many other players. I have learned a lot from her myself.
She will be very much missed.
- Gillian Allen
Anne has been a member of the Canberra Bridge Club for over 44 years. Funeral arrangements are unknown at this stage, but we will advise once we hear from the family.
Message from the Committee
- The Club is restarting the Saturday Face to Face Session for the Spring season from 31 August until 30 November. It will run concurrently with the 1.15pm RealBridge session and will be directed by John Donovan.
- The Tuesday evening competition session returns to Face to Face from 27 August. The first event is a two week Matchpoint Pairs using a Swiss Draw format. Entries and information are available through MyABF.
Club Charity Nominations
Each year the Committee considers nominations from members for a new charity for the next financial year. The Club has raised over $1190 for its current charity, Integra Service Dogs Australia. Over the past few years, the Club has supported Radio 1RPH, Beyond Blue, Barnardos Australia and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Proceeds from fundraising events and the produce table all go towards supporting the charity. If you have a favourite charity that you would like to have considered, please email the Secretary at
Nominations received to date:
• Make-A-Wish
• Arthritis ACT
• Anglicare ACT
• Save the Children
John Brockwell's Column
It’s a funny old game (acknowledgement ─ Andrew Fisher)
In the 1970s, life tended to be more genteel than it is today. For instance, at many bridge clubs, play in evening duplicates would stop for supper. A tray loaded with a china teapot, cups and saucers, milk and sugar, biscuits and cake was brought to the table. Then for 10 minutes or so, one would chat to tablemates who nowadays one could play for ages without ever exchanging a non-bridge word.
One evening at a Sydney bridge club, play at one table was a little slow. The supper tray arrived while partners Len Fisher and Leo Goorevich were bidding the final hand. “1NT” said Len. “Weak or strong” asked an opponent. “I don’t mind” replied Leo, “any way it comes out of the pot”
- John Brockwell
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Wednesday Night Pizzas
The next Wednesday night pizza will be on 28th August 2024. For those unfamiliar with the activity, the Wednesday night pizzas provide the opportunity for social interaction while enjoying a pizza sampling. It provides a great opportunity to talk to and socialise with your fellow players, which is not always the case when engaged in playing bridge. The pizzas will be available from 6:30, which provides ample time to enjoy your pizzas before supervised and walk-in play begins.
The cost of the pizzas is a nominal $5 payable on the day. This entitles you to half a pizza. A variety of toppings will be available and participants can pick and choose. Vegan pizzas can be made available for those who want them. No drinks are provided, so if you want liquid refreshment you will need to bring your own.
Attendance is voluntary and those wishing to partake should place their name on a list on the noticeboard or contact Jon Pike directly. His email is
Upcoming Events
Golden Canola Congress
Don't forget the Cootamundra Golden Canola Spring Congress is coming up on 24, 25 August. You could win Summer festival half entries as prizes in the teams.
- Saturday – Swiss Pairs
Date: August 24 Time: 9.30am for a 10.00am start - Sunday – Interclub Swiss Teams Sponsored by BFACT
Date: August 25 9.00am for a 9.30am start - Click here to register
Swiss Matchpoint Pairs ( Incorporates BFACT Mixed Pairs Championship )
- Tuesday 27 August and 3 September
- 7:15pm (Face to Face at the Club)
- Click here to Enter
Australia Wide Open Pairs
The Australia-Wide Open Pairs has a rich history that goes back more than 40 years, bringing together thousands of players from all around the country.
Each player will receive a souvenir booklet on the day, describing our recommendations for how the bidding and play should have gone. After the results are in, there will also be a second personalised booklet available on our web page, looking at every board to see how your bidding and play compares against our recommended results.
- Date: Wednesday 28 August 7:15pm
- Entry fee: $15 Concession : $13 Youth : $7.50
- This is a walk in event which will run in place of our usual Wednesday evening Duplicate. (Supervised session will be on as per normal)
- Click here for more information
Introduction to Teams
The two weeks will introduce the idea of teams and how the scoring differs from regular pairs play. There will be a few handouts and a brief talk by an experienced teams player on the different strategies and how bidding and play changes when playing teams. It will also be an ideal practice in the run up to Canberra In Bloom, for those entering the various novice, rookie or restricted events being offered there.
- Sunday 22nd and 29th September from 1-00pm until 4-30pm
- Entry fee is $24 for members. This event will need to be pre-registered but payment will be charged on the day by the director.
- Click here to register
if you have any questions or require clarification, please feel free to email
Canberra in Bloom
Canberra in Bloom is being held on 4-7 October with events catering for all levels. It is being played at Canberra Bridge Club, with morning and afternoon tea provided and prizes to win.
Early bird prices close on 31 August so enter now at myabf.com.au
For further information, contact Roger Brake at rbrakebridge.com.au or 0466009426
Ian Morison
Lighter Moments
(Courtesy of Chris Ballantyne)
An old Italian man living alone wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but the ground was too hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison, so he wrote him a letter: Dear Vincent, I’m feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days. Love, Papa A few days later he received this letter from his son: Dear Pop, don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie At 6 am the next morning, the FBl and police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Pop, go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinni
Grand Master Ranking Achievement
The club is thrilled that two of our Directors have recently achieved the "Grand Masters" rank. Huge congratulations to John Donovan (June) and Bruce Crossman (July).
I looked this up and you need 1000 Masterpoints to reach this level. There seems to be a catch however, the 1000 points have to include 700 Gold/Red MP with at least 200 of them in Gold.
This means that the green points that we usually get playing at the club will only get us so far and we should all seek opportunities to play in events that offer Red/Gold points.
After all we are all potential Silver, Gold, Emerald and Diamond Masters!
With that in mind, a reminder that the Australia Wide Open Pairs is a red points event and Canberra in Bloom (where you can pick up some gold points) is coming up soon.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Elizabeth
