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On our way north to Weipa we've arrived in Tropical Far North Queensland. Mal rang President Lee at Silkwood to find out about social bowls and to whether we can park our van there. We can. Bowls is on Wednesday so not sure if we'll make it. MONDAY Lee was waiting for us when we arrived. We saw inside the clubhouse - it's nice. There's a concrete area under shade. It's a carpet synthetic green that's been down since 2019. It's the Tonta's Memorial Green. Tonta was one of the original members who owned and donated the land. They had the inaugural meeting of the bowls club at the pub! WEDNESDAY We came back Wednesday for a game. We met a couple of guys. It's Rob, Mal and Rex. It had been sprinkling with rain for 24 hours so there was debate about whether we'd play. They decided to charge us for half a game and see what happens. There was a game of Triples and one Pairs. It was Rob and Mal Against Rex and Ron. Barry, Jean and Tony Played Lee, Delmo and Brian Jean struggled at first with grass. Tony told her they recently had to have the green stretched. After that they all had to re-learn the grass! She learnt though! Mal did fine! There are sugar cane flowers all over the green. At 3pm we came in for Smoko. Lee told us the local bakery donates its leftover cakes. His last end Mal was two shots down for the game. Then he did this then put another one in for the win! Jean said to Barry "If I only do one good bowl all game will that be ok?" She didn't, though she had two on the bank! Delmo explained to Jean that once sugar cane is cut it lasts 11 hours. There's a microbe which starts to consume the sugar after that. Jean's team was two down after end twenty. They thought they could come up and win but it started to rain so they all agreed to finish the game. Silkwood - the rain stopped a win for Jean!

We've entered Tropical North Queensland on our way to Weipa. We stopped in on our way to Silkwood to visit Tully Bowling Club. The boys at Noorla told us it's temporarily closed from damage so we're checking it out! The club has one plastic synthetic green. Like other clubs it has the pull-over shade. They are right about damage. It looks lifted by water, though it looks like rinks 1 to 5 are ok. The clubhouse was open. There seemed to be someone in there out the back but we didn't want to venture in. Out the front is a concrete under cover area. We were about to leave and Treasurer Robyn came out. She was doing some cleaning. We had a chat with her. She said they are waiting to find out how much money they'll get to fix the green after the floods. Robyn said we were welcome to roll up but the Silkwood President was waiting for us so off we drove. Tully - we hope the green recovers soon!

Yesterday when we stayed at Macknade our water pump blew. We had no water - in the middle of washing. So Mal rang President Gary at Noorla to ask if we could come there and hook up to water. Gary said yes and he and Greenkeeper Nygel really looked after us. We said we'd stay a few days and play on Sunday in their tournament. FRIDAY In the end we got a new pump from Ingham Irrigation and Plumbing but Gary and Nygel were so helpful. They hooked us up to power and water. Gary really likes it when bowlers come to visit and play with their caravans. The clubhouse is nice with a separate bar. There's an impressive trophy array. SATURDAY On Saturday there was a sponsored inter-club competition against Ingham. The boys we met at Ingham Friday turned up. Joe, Tomas and Michael chatted with Jean about Spanish and Italian languages. It's a mixed bag today. Fours, Triples, Pairs and Singles. They were one short so Tomas asked Mal to mark the Singles. The club has one synthetic green. Plastic. It's the Johnny Accornero Green. It has a pull-over shade like many others around here. SUNDAY Sunday finally came. It's two games of three-bowl triples. It was Craig, Jean and Peter First game was Nella, Albert and Tomas. Stuart, Mal and Pedro Played Dora, Susan and Gary. First end Craig took shot, Jean got second. Then Jean and Albert both had Touchers but Jean just had shot. Mal was way up the other end. Jean was worried she couldn't photograph his good bowls. She said "Lucky I took a photo of his rollup earlier in the day!" Mal lost. He said "If only they hadn't rung the bell! One more end we'd have won!" Jean's team won all but three ends. We came in for another fabulous Smoko. Sandwiches, Party pies and home-made cakes. Delicious! 2nd game Jean played Gina, Harley and Ed. Ed's from Windang near Jean's parent's house in Shellharbour. Mal played Alicia, Di and John. Mal drew and Jean's team won by five. Jean's team came second. The won $100 each donated by sponsors Carlo Delmo and Peter. Noorla - we thoroughly enjoyed our three days there!

We're on our way to Emerald to meet one of Jean's High School best friends Louanne who is gem hunting at Rubyvale We stopped at Esk on our way to Crows Nest for a rollup. It was closed. Jean took a pic through glass. There's a nice outdoor area. Angela drove past and stopped to check us out. She said the club was closed for 6 months and members went elsewhere. There's one grass green. It felt spongy under foot. Mal reckoned it was about ten seconds. Mal went out. Jean followed him. It was a super-slow green. We worked it out. Esk - not too long but OK.

We're staying a few nights at Noorla Bowling Club in Ingham. When we were at Macknade yesterday Brett told us Ingham men play Friday so Jean rang to get Mal's name down. It's a nice old clubhouse. Jean thinks the painting is of the famed original Sir Francis Drake bowls game! There are lots of great old photos Like 1949 Dunn Cup Winners. The club was established in 1931. There's a commemoration of the installation of the green and the shade. When we arrived Pat was expecting Mal. He told Jean the club has 30 men and 20 women. Mal chatted with the boys. It was Tim, Mal and Graeme There's one synthetic green under a shade. The Ren Cantatore Green Est. 2017. The sign says it's Polyester Needle Punch. It was Pairs. Four games - 16 blokes in all. Peter and Mal Played Rob and Terry. Mal and Peter were doing ok. They were up 5 - nil after two ends. Jean went away to go shopping at Woollies next door. When she returned she asked Peter if Mal had done any good bowls while she was gone. He said "Well, we're doin' alright. It's 25 to 5!" After Mal's beautiful shot Terry took kitty then Mal got it back. They won 35 to seven. They won the day! Mal got a six pack. He was over the moon about that. Better than money. A six-pack for Mal at Ingham.

After our disappointing rollup at Mystic Sands we were so excited to drive an hour to Macknade Bowls Club out of Ingham for a game this afternoon. Jean got in touch via Messenger and spoke with Brett who put our names down. He also told us we could park our van there for which we are very grateful. Just after we arrived Bruce and Helen from Victor Harbor SA arrived. They want to play and stay as well. It's such a lovely place. The guys from Jubilee told us we must play here! It's on sugar mill property. There are no trespassing signs everywhere. It's a nice little clubhouse - floral tablecloths. With a nice bar area. There's a good shady verandah which overlooks the green. With a gorgeous and very old tree out the front. Near the bowls shed is what seems to be an old piece of sugar machinery. The seats on the deck are donated in memorium. After a couple of hours a few people turned up and introduced themselves. It was David, Mal, Len and Mario. Lydia looked after the money. There's one plastic synthetic green. It was a bit damp when we rolled up from the heavy dew. It's the Marbelli Green. It's named after Lif Member Luciano Marbelli. There's a scoreboard donated by his family. The green has a pull-over shade provided by the Qld Government. It looked good when it came over. We got some give-away mandarins and passionfruit. It was a great turnout. Everyone seemed very excited to be here. Apparently they're mostly caravan bowlers like us. Linda, Louie and Jean Played against Keith, Carla and Carmen. Carla played in the Multi-Disability Bowls last year and won Silver and Bronze. On Mal's rink it was Fours. Kerryn, John, Brett and Mal. Against Bruce , Tom, Sue and Peter. Icon Water phoned Jean while she was bowling. She had no idea she got shot! Jean was really happy with her bowling. She Took out shot and the kitty. At 3pm we came inside for Smoko. What a spread! When we were at Jubilee we learnt about the Dunn Cup which is a big thing in the district. At Macknade they have the 'UN Done Cup' on the same day! During Smoko we met Pop who says he knows Jean's sister Sue from Weipa. Mal reckoned he didn't do any good bowls. Jean was at the other end so couldn't see. Mal managed to take a few photos. He did better than he thought. Mal kept contributing to his team's score. Mal won. Jean's team was neck and neck until the last couple of ends. We came inside for presentations. Jean's team got $5 each for losing rink. Jean remarked about the game "It's unusual to see so many people just having lots of fun.". Macknade - fun game, fun people, fun stories. Definitely worth the visit!

We drove from Townsville 60k north to Mystic Sands Golf Resort. It's a golf club with a bowling green. We will roll up here. It costs $3 per person to roll up. It doesn't seem like there's a bowling club here. It seems to be just a facility for barefoot bowlers. Perhaps visiting caravanners. The staff are very friendly and we can camp there with power and fill up with water. We pulled up in our caravan. We were lucky to get a spot with power. Wednesday night Jean needs power for cooking! We took a look at the bowling green. It's a grass green in poor condition. We're always amazed when there's a bowling green at a golf club how beautiful the golf greens are and how ordinary the bowling green is. It's not always the case but often is. Here it was no exception - we weren't impressed. There are patches and weeds all over it. Some plovers came to laugh at us. Jean tentatively ventured out. She put all her effort in and managed about 22 metres. Eventually we worked out the weight Mal had a go. He got a couple. Jean had a go at Mal's bowls. Her bowl was supposed to go into the ditch but was stopped at the edge. We didn't enjoy our rollup. We stopped after four ends and went back to the caravan! Mystic Sands - Ok if you're a barefoot bowler!

We drove over to Townsville from our temporary home in Giru for a Tuesday afternoon game at Jubilee Bowls Club. Jean's been chatting over Messenger. They said we could park our caravan here. Mal loved the unusual tree in the carpark. After we set up people started to arrive. We met Glenda and Glenn who looked after everything. Glenda knew exactly who we were. She'd heard about our arrival but she'd already come across us in Cobram Victoria. It's a light, airy clubhouse. They have an impressive trophy case. There's a nice outdoor area under the shade. and a barbecue area next door to an additional indoor entertainment area. The seats are donated. Mal chatted with the boys. They were interested in from where our shirts came. There were Joffa, Tommy, Peter, Mal and Andre. Jean sat with Gwen and loved her earrings. There are two carpet synthetic greens. Both have pull-over shades. It's an interesting surface. The green looks good. It was Triples. Sam, Mal and Smally Against Ken, Tommy and Andre. Glenda and Jean played Three-bowl Pairs. Against Joffa and Barry. By the third end Jean worked it out for three! Jean got shot then Joffa stole it! Naughty boy! We came inside for Smoko and raffles. Delicious sandwiches made by Sam. When we came out Jean did better. She kept running over to Mal but kept missing his good shots. She nearly got one! Then she managed to catch a good'n! Jean and Glenda managed a win. 24 to 12. Mal lost 12-15. When we came in Glenda presented us some goodies. Including a badge for Jean's hat. Glenda told Jean she used to be a member at Jean's club Weston Creek. She asked Jean to send her regards to Renee, Elaine and Carol there. She told us some of the club's history - starting in 1951. Glenda introduced us to Dale the Chair. Dale told Jean he's in the Army but he was a chef for seven years. He looks after all the cooking at the club and is planning to open a cafe there. He has big plans for the club with new greens and shady areas and also to refurb the extra indoor space. Jean asked if she could plug in power to cook her potatoes. She did but the power kept tripping. Dale said (since the boys were there doing some work) she could cook dinner in the kitchen. "We're a very friendly club!" he said. It worked brilliantly. Cooked our dinner in the clubhouse at Jubilee!

We popped over from our cosy spot at Giru Bowls Club to Alligator Creek for a rollup. They have social bowls on Sunday arvo so we missed out by a day. It's a nice clubhouse with a separate bar area. The club is surrounded by mountains on all sides. There's a respectful Services Memorial by the green. The outdoor area is quite large with a playground up the end. We met Val who said she's here every Monday! She got a mat and jacks for us. Val told us the club only has 12 bowling members - just enough for a Pennants side! It's a nice carpet synthetic green. The kind Jean usually likes. It was first opened in 1998 then refurbished in 2021. Jean stepped out. She had some trouble because the green was quick.. A bit ho hum she thought. Others wouldn't! Mal took his turn. He did a little better. Jean wanted to get a good shot of her bowls so she took Mal's shot bowl out! We both struggled to get our weight right. Our rollup was short because it was getting hot. (For Canberrans - not for North Queenslanders!). We came inside and met John who didn't want his photo taken. Alligator Creek - the tiny little bowling club!

We've started our trek north to Weipa. This morning we took the short drive to Giru. Jean's been in touch with President Ian via Messenger. Ian told her they have a championship on later today we can watch. We arrived early. Nobody there yet. Jean gave Ian a call and he was happy for us to park our caravan at the club. It's a good little clubhouse but no EFTPOS! The ladies had a win in 1992! There are a few plaques. Two for the 1967 opening and the lights ten years later. Then there's the 50th Anniversary and club extensions unveiled. The under-cover verandah is pleasant. The club has one eight-rink grass green. It's a little patchy in parts but runs ok. There are nice, old permanent shades. Jean went out. She took blood first end. It was Mal's turn. Second end Jean tried to drive Mal off but she was unsuccessful. Jean usually likes 👍 a slow green but Mal was all over it today! Jean was in there too. Since we were staying, we wandered over at 2:30 to meet the folks and watch the game. It's the Open Singles final. It has an impressive trophy. Ian is also the Greenkeeper. Earlier we watched him roll the green. Con turned up with his sandwiches. We met Jeff who's playing today. He saw us at Home Hill the other day. He explained the name of the town is pronounced "Girroo". He said it's named after a type of sugar cane. He showed us the back of his 👕. It has a Barramundi on it. The boys told Jean "Here we're all about sugar cane and Barramundi - oh, and mozzies!". We watched Bradley and Jeff play for a while. There's a sugar crushing plant next door. Ian told us when the sugar crush starts (which is now) the Giru club goes dead. We had a crush on at Giru! PS: By the way on the last end it was 23 all. Bradley came in and got three for a win!

It's our last day staying at Home Hill. Jean contacted nearby Ayr Bowling Club to get our names down for a Saturday afternoon game. There's a big logo on the wall. We met Joe, Pam and Arthur at the table. Pam was the one who Jean spoke to on Messenger. We're blown away by all the sugar cane around here and saw it burning 🔥 last night. We were told at Home Hill BC that this is one of the last places where they burn cane as the local mills can't handle raw cane. It's a pleasant little clubhouse with a big bar. There's an impressive framed photo array of the original club. The ladies seem to have done well in Pennant. There are two greens. The original synthetic Which was installed with the shade in 2005. There's another synthetic green . Not sure what surface. It's the Tapiolas Green. With a pull-over shade. It was installed 2019. It's triples today. We selected tiles again to get our teams. It was Jean, Henry and Wayne (visiting from Woodgate Beach near Bundaberg). Against Rob, Arthur and Paul Then Mal, Elaine and Sam. Against Margaret, Alec and Dot. It was a full green. Popular event! Everyone was friendly - joking around. We felt welcome. First end Jean put two in then Wayne and Henry consolidated for five! Skip Mal put in a beauty second end. Even with the super fast green Jean was happy with how she bowled. We had smoko at 3pm then came back out. Jean'steam was ahead the whole first half. With three to go Jean's team was down three. They got two initially the went down two. They got killed second half! Mal was frustrated. He said he couldn't get the grass. He missed a lot - just! But he won by five shots! We came inside and Sam found Jean a badge for her hat. A nice welcome at Ayr.

We're staying at the Home Hill Showground so we took the 19 minute drive to Brandon. The folks at Home Hill told us yesterday they have social bowls on Sunday. We'll be gone. Noone had responded to Jean on Messenger. It's our usual experience when we roll up in a small place like this, someone always drives past and curiously checks us out. Not so at Brandon. Hardly a car drove by. Jean took a photo of the clubhouse through the glass. The shady outdoor area is nice. Like Home Hill It's a plastic synthetic. Mal ventured out. Jean thought she had shot but was disappointed when she got up there. Jean had her go. She did it. She was happy with her weight. That was enough for Mal. He took it back! Jean just managed shot on the last end. Noone for us to meet at Brandon.