SPORT

You don’ t need the intellect of Einstein to know that the trouble with getting old is that you keep losing mates to the

Another bonza day at a Les Darcy Club lunch. My Independent colleague, Greg Martin( r), with Col Joye, John Scott( centre) and standing behind, poet, author and Rugby legend, Peter“ Fab” Fenton.

Grim Reaper. The latest of my dear friends to depart this place was the legendary Col Joye, who passed away on August 5, following a long illness.

An illness which over the past two years prevented him from attending our regular Les Darcy Club long, long, long lunches.

I only met Col in the flesh when he became one of the founding members of the Les Darcy Club back in 2014.

Col would always bring along his ukulele to the lunches and belt out a couple of songs.

I will always remember him strumming the uke and singing

AUTUMN BREAK and CANNY HELL are both out of the Kym Davison stable at Albury. The pair finished in the top two places in a 900m trial on their home track on August 19. Watch out for them when they resume in either NSW or Victoria.

AERODROME indicated he was primed to fly when he resumes going on his impressive 1080m trial at Randwick on August 19. Smart type out of the Michael Freedman stable.

RAGING FORCE was very impressive in winning 1080m trial at Randwick on August 19. I liked it that the others in the heat were under the bat, but he just cruised all the way down the running. ANGEL CAPITAL is another star

out of the Waller camp and, crikey, was she ever impressive in easily winning 780m trial at Randwick on August 19!

BRIASA couldn’ t have been more impressive when bolting in against Group company in 900m trial at Canterbury on Aug 18. He’ ll be primed for his tilt at The Everest.

GERRINGONG should have patrons at Mick Cronin’ s Gerringong pub cheering this campaign going on very tidy 1100m trial win at Canterbury on Aug 18. Mick is a part owner in the Waterhouse-Bott mare. the haunting Johnny Cash song, These Hands, at the wake for the Les Darcy Club founder, another great mate, John Scott.

“ These hands aren’ t the hands of a gentleman These hands are calloused and old These hands raised a family, these hands built a home Now these hands raised to praise the Lord …”

Col’ s hands and his voice brought so much joy to generations of Australians for over seven decades

These hands and this heart will miss you mate.

Readers of these jottings know that I am a member of the very, very, very social Hawkesbury Rovers Golf Club.

We play 9-holes every Tuesday and Friday and on several occasions each year we head bush for a couple of days to play 18-holes and tour the places we are visiting.

Most of our group are sexagenarians and septuagenarians and have been mates since our schooldays, either as fellow pupils or opposing each other on sporting fields.

Generalissimo John Sparkes runs the entire operation for which we are all thankful – Sparksy is a Godsend.

One of his many tasks is keeping tabs on our handicaps.

Mine are driving, chipping, and putting – I won’ t even mention getting out of a sand trap! I digress! Only a couple of our members have official Golf Australia( GA) handicaps, the rest of us are allocated ours by Field Marshal Sparkes – whom, I might add, refuses any attempts at bribery!

Those of our mob whose handicaps are not official cannot compete in sanctioned handicap events which doesn’ t bother most of us.

But on four occasions each year, Mrs Harpo and I join two other couples, visiting Mollymook, Woolgoolga, Dubbo and Orange.

My two fellow males are keen golfers, members of several clubs and obviously possessing official GA handicaps, making them eligible to play in tournaments on these trips.

Because I am handicap-less, I can’ t play on those days so I just sit in the clubhouse, downing a beer or ten, which, I might add, is better than going on endless, long walks with the girls.

My two friends have been at me for yonks to join a club, get a handicap and play with them at these“ away” tournaments.

But I wasn’ t prepared to fork out big money to join a club because I’ m content just to play 9-holes on various local courses twice a week with my old cobbers.

Anyways, one of my“ away” friends, Cliff, rang the other week and told me about Social Golf Australia.

“ You don’ t have to outlay a thousand bucks or so each year to join a golf club to get a handicap and finally play in tournaments with Graeme and I,” Cliff said. So, I ring Social Golf Australia and lo-and-behold, who do I get on the other end of the line, but one of SGA’ s founding partners, the affable and informative Michael Pitt.

Ten minutes later, I’ m off the blower, pulling up the SGA website and perusing the easy steps to become a member and gain an officially sanctioned GA handicap. First step is to submit scorecards for playing 54 holes – either three 18s, four 9s or one 18 and two 9s.

I did that with“ Honest” John Sparkes – playing 18 holes at Richmond, Penrith and Windsor, scanning the scorecards onto my computer, heading to the SGA website and following the easy steps and attaching the scorecards.

And then forked out $ 108 which is one of the low-cost annual fees on offer to become an SGA member and participate in any GA sanctioned tournament in the country.

Although not the Australian Open, etcetera- I think I may have over explained that!

As this isn’ t an advert for SGA( though, probably is!), I won’ t go into full details about how to join my new club, but you can do so just by letting your fingers do the work and going to the socialgolfaustralia. com. au website.

SAD MARKS: The loss of Col Joye. Still, you could engrave on his headstone,“ A life well lived with no regrets”.

Team

22 ISSUE 54 // SEPTEMBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT