SPORT
HARPO’ s MARKS
A few months back, Mrs Harpo and I had an enjoyable driving holiday around Tasmania, and one of the highlights of the trip was playing a round of golf at Swansea, midway along the East Coast of the island.
The course is situated on Waterloo Point and surrounded on three sides by Great Oyster Bay.
Beautiful scenery but it didn’ t help with my golf!
In the clubhouse after our round, we got chatting to the very affable club vice-captain and go-to man on everything about the club, Mal Sinclair.
With Mrs Harpo sort of volunteering to do the driving after our visit, I downed“ a few” bottles of Cascade beers and sometime during my conversation with Mal, I asked him when the club was formed.
“ It’ s pretty old, I reckon,” I said.“ Is it the oldest club in Tasmania?”
Before I commenced writing this column, I asked Mrs Harpo could she remember what Mal told us in regard to when his club was formed.
“ I had made yet another trip to the bar buying your drinks which I might add I didn’ t believe you needed...” she began. Anyway, let’ s move on! However, I did remember( with the help of you-know-who) that Mal had told me that Bothwell’ s Ratho Farm Golf Course was not only the oldest club in Tasmania, but in Australia, and was the oldest golf club in the southern Hemisphere!
Bothwell is yet another picturesque Tasmanian town( but aren’ t they all!) and is situated 43 kilometres north of Swansea at the northern tip of Freycinet Peninsula.
For yonks now a feud has raged in this country as to whether The Australian Golf Club in Sydney or the Royal Melbourne Golf Club is the oldest.
The Australian was formed in 1882 but for some explicable reason which I couldn’ t unearth, golf wasn’ t played there from 1889 until 1895.
Royal Melbourne was founded in 1891 and technically may be the third oldest club in the land.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ratho Farm Golf Club stands atop the victor’ s dais as Australia’ s first golf club, operating since 1839 on the farm established in 1822 by Scottish immigrant, Alexander Reid.
Alexander grew up on the family’ s Ratho Bank Estate, just west of Edinburgh where he played golf at the nearby Leith Links.
He migrated to Tasmania in’ 82 along with his wife, Mary, and two young children, Mary and Alec.
Also on the good ship“ Castle Forbes” were fellow“ Jocks” and all were granted land on the Upper Clyde River where the
Barrier with RiseTONY BRASSEL
CAMBAR and ANOTHER ONE are out of the Gary Colvin yard at Wagga Wagga. They ran first and second respectively in a 1000m hitout at Narrandera on July 13. Both went home powerfully without being put under any pressure.
COLOURFUL EMPEROR is a former handy English sprinter now with the Ryan-Alexiou camp. Won both trials in good fashion since coming back into work, latest over 1030m at Rosehill on July 15.
STEEL KNIGHT posted an impressive 1030m trial win at Rosehill on June 15. The others were all under the bat, but he easily held them off final stages.
PRETTY POWERFUL disappointed in first run back from a spell but there
was much to admire about her slashing late effort when fourth in fast-run 900m trial at Rosehill on July 15.
MOIRA had superb American form before coming here and finishing 14th in this year’ s Doncaster. Certainly showed she has acclimatised with fast finishing burst to get second in 900m trial at Rosehill on July 15.
PELETTE could be a real smokey going on her trial effort at Scone on July 16. The 3YO filly finished 7th of 8 runners in a fast run( 58.94 secs) 1000m trial. She jumped best and was then under a throttlehold throughout. Look out for her in something suitable. new village of Bothwell was founded.
Reid named his property Ratho Farm, and he farmed the property with success before leaving the property in the care of a manager and returning to Scotland in 1837.
Along for the ride on that return trip two years later were Reid’ s golf clubs, and on his arrival back home at Ratho Farm, he built a rough‘ n’ ready golf course and roped in many of his neighbours to establish a club.
Alexander Reid died in 1858, aged 75 and was succeeded in the ownership of Ratho Farm by his son Alec, who, as well as improving the pasture and raising a family, ensured the golf links were kept ship-shape.
Young Alexander, who lived all his life on the farm, also had a strong interest in the Sport of Kings – thoroughbred horse racing – and brought the 1882 Melbourne Cup winner, The Assyrian, to Ratho Farm to stand at stud.
The Assyrian only stood for a few seasons and the best of his progeny was the aptly named Bothwell which won the 1888 Toorak Handicap.
The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus certainly got it right when, about 500 years BC he said that“ the only constant in life is change”.
In Rugby League, the only constant in life over the past 50 years has been that the great Ken“ Mungo” Irvine has been the greatest try scorer in the history of the game in this country.
But old Heraclitus’ s comment looks like being proven correct once again as South Sydney winger, Alec Johnston, storms towards replacing Mungo at the top of the try scoring record.
I write this with Johnston still a few tries short of topping Mungo’ s 212 touchdowns which ended with his retirement in 1973.
Mungo’ s career spanned 1958-1973, running on in 236 games – 171 for North Sydney Bears and 60 in the final three seasons of his career with Manly- Warringah.
At the time of writing, Johnston’ s try tally stands at 2026 and he could well eclipse Ken’ s record by the time you are reading this column.
I admit before you continue reading this article, that Mungo has long been one of my sporting heroes and I have been fortunate to have called him friend.
So, much as I admire Johnston’ s try scoring feats, I’ m saddened that Mungo’ s amazing record is being bettered.
Ken Irvine was the number three rugby league writer behind legends Bill Mordey and Peter Frilingos at the Daily Mirror when I commenced my career in journalism in March, 1968.
I loved the man and not only because of his try-scoring feats.
Ken, along with Bluegum Mordey and Chippy Frilingos, aided me during my formative career at the writing caper.
He had a great sense of humour and I never saw him knock back giving an autograph or having a quick chat with a fan.
I saw him only a week or so before the rugby league world mourned his passing on December 22, 1990, at the age of 50.
I was on the Gold Coast for a race meeting and caught up with him and a few of his mates in a bar at Jupiter’ s Casino.
I knew he had been battling myeloid leukaemia since being diagnosed in 1983, but he looked in fine fettle when we caught up, so I was shattered to learn of his passing only days later.
What makes Ken Irvine’ s record so impressive was that he played for the Bears during a period when they normally finished near the bottom of the premiership table.
So, it was tremendous to see him go out with two premiership victories with the star-studded Sea Eagles in 1972-73.
On the other hand, Johnston has been in a powerful team which contested finals in seven seasons – and he was fortunate to play outside some outstanding attacking players.
Still, Alec can’ t do much more than take the ball, run with it, and plant it over the tryline!
Just to finish, how many tries do you reckon Ken Irvine would have scored playing under today’ s conditions when wingers don’ t mark their opposite numbers?
SAD MARKS: The passing at 92 years of age of colourful bookmaker and punter, Ray Hopkins. A champion bloke who will be sadly missed by a host of mates.
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 183 // AUGUST 2025 29