Tuesday, April 29, 2008

St Helens

Last week I went on a holiday to St Helens and the Tasman Peninsula. I headed out for St Helens on the Monday morning going via Scottsdale. I was lucky enough that my neighbours let me stay at their shack at Akaroa, just outside the township of St Helens. I got there around lunch time and after off loading the car I went exploring the area.

My first destination was further up the St Helens Point Road. This was the first shot I took on my holiday.



From there I headed to Binalong Bay and the start of the Bay of Fires. I found a nice little beach area that I could explore by myself.



From Binalong Bay I drove to The Gardens which is about the mid point of the Bay of Fires. I looked for a place to park and almost got my car stuck. After extricating myself I found a better parking spot and went for a walk on the beach. While I was watching the waves hit the beach I had a huge shadow pass overhead. It was a very friendly Molly Hawk! He circled around me several times giving me a chance to get a good photo of him. He wasn't worried about me at all!

More shots of him can be found here.



I spied this little flower as I was walking back to the car. This was the first of several flower shots I'd take in the next few days.



From the Gardens I went back to Binalong Bay and took the turn off towards Eddystone Point. This was a gravel road all the way to Eddystone point. My car which started the day clear was soon very, very dirty. My tyres looked like they were white walls! By the time I got to Eddystone Point it was begining to get late. I took some shots of Picnic rocks and then called it a day.



I ended the day back at the shack and got this sunset shot from the front yard.



At the moment I've only processed the photos from the first day. I still have a lot of images to go through. I hope to get some more done in the coming days.

Round 4 Pennant

What a big round for the Quamby Golf Club. All three divisions got a win this week, and all took a step towards winning their respective Pennants. Almost every game in Div 3, 7 and 8 were won by the home team, the only upset was (Div 7) Quamby defeating Scottsdale away from home.

Division 3 Played Bridport at home this week. Bridport hadn’t lost a round and Quamby were desperate to keep their season alive. At the end of the day Quamby narrowly defeated Bridport 4/3. With that win Quamby stay in the hunt for the Pennant. The team was Corey deBruyn, Duane Morgan, Paul Martin, Matt Marston, John Murray, Matt Adams and Nic Bauld. The winners were Corey deBruyn, John Murray, Matt Marston and Matt Adams.

The other game in Div 3 was Greens Beach v Exeter. Greens Beach won 5/2

Division 7 played Scottsdale away from home. The team was Colin Butterworth, Steve Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood, Dan Scott, Justin Ryan and Mitchell Britton-Thomas. This game had a lot at stack. Who ever won would have the best chance to win the Pennant. We went into the round with an unchanged team and confidence. At the end of the day the round was decided by one game, both sides had three wins with one game still going. Anthony Burrows held his nerve and won the day for Quamby on the first play-off hole. This was the first time he played under this much pressure and he came through it very well! The winners were Steve Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Daniel Scott and Justin Ryan.

With this wonderful result we have our destiny in our own hands. Win the next two rounds and we have the Pennant won!

The other game in Div 7 was Tam O’Shanter v Mowbray. Tam O’Shanter won 7/0

Division 8 played Launceston at home this week. They went into this match looking to continue the clubs home course dominance. The team was Don Mackie, Stephen Clarke, Glen Duncan, Leon Towns, John Cullen, Scott Limbrick and Neil Chenhall. The team had a huge win against Launceston! With this win they move into a position to win the Pennant this year.

The other game in Div 8 was Bridport v Exeter. Bridport won 6/1


The Ladders after round 3

Div 3

Heading into the mid season break Briport holds the ladder lead. Quamby evened up the score with their second win and Greens Beach joined Bridport with three wins. The next round after the break will see Greens Beach host Bridport in what will be a very big game. If Bridport win they will probably win the Pennant. The best result for Quamby is for Greens Beach to win at home. Quamby will need to win their last two rounds to have any chance of winning the Pennant.

Bridport 3-1 18/10
Greens Beach 3-1 16/12
Quamby 2-2 16/12
Exeter 0-4 6/23


Div 7
A big win by Quamby over Scottsdale has us sitting a full game clear on top of the table. We have our last home game after the break against Mowbray. We need to win this game! Win it and we will be one step closer to winning the Pennant. With Mowbrays loss on the weekend that leaves only Quamby and Scottsdale with the best chances to win this year. The perfect result for Quamby would be for Tam O’Shanter to beat Scottsdale and Quamby to beat Mowbray. That would seal up the Pennant but, it probably won’t happen that way. We will need to win both our games to make sure we win the Pennant.

Quamby 3-1 18/10
Scottsdale 2-2 16/12
Mowbray 2-2 9/19
Tam O'Shanter 1-3 13/15


Div 8
This week Quamby has fought their way off the bottom of the ladder into a position to win the Pennant after the last two rounds. They had a huge 7/0 win over then ladder leaders Launceston. Each round has seen the home team win. If this trend continues in round five, that will leave Quamby the chance to win this year. They will have the chance to win at Bridport and doing that should win the Pennant. We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.

Bridport 2-2 17/11
Quamby 2-2 16/12
Launceston 2-2 12/16
Exeter 2-2 11/17


Undefeated players
The number of undefeated players has shrunk. They are John Cullen and Glen Duncan. However, John Cullen isn’t able to play any other rounds this year so Glen Duncan has the best chance to remain undefeated this year.

We also have some players that are undefeated for one or two matches. They are John Murray for two rounds and Adam Pawson, Peter Gardner, Glenn Summers and Andy Barnes.

Congratulations to Don Mackie, Stephen Clarke and Leon Towns for getting their first wins for the club.


It’s fantastic that all our teams have a chance to win Pennants this year. Best of luck to all our teams in the next round!!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Round 3 Pennant

Round 3 was almost a full week ago. It's only now that I've been able to write up the results. I have been away on the East Coast of Tasmania for most of the week taking photos. I'll be posting some of them in the future.

But back to golf! Round 3 saw the Pennant teams of Quamby continue to their seasons in good fashion. Division 7 won it's second round against Tam O'Shanter. Division 8 got it's first win against Bridport and Division 3 narrowly lost to Greens Beach.

Division 3 Played Greens Beach away from home. They went in with the strongest team they could but were unable to get over the boys from the beach. The team was Corey deBruyn, Duane Morgan, Paul Martin, Matt Marston, John Murray, Matt Adams and Nic Bauld. The team lost 4/3. The winners were Paul Martin, John Murray and Nic Bauld.

The same team will meet Bridport at home Sunday. We will be looking to square up the ledger and go into the break 2-2.

The other game in Div 3 was Exeter v Bridport. Bridport won 4/3

Division 7 played Tam O'Shanter at home. The team had a couple of changes for this round with the inclusion of Colin Butterworth, and the return of Steve Lovegrove. The team was Colin Butterworth, Steve Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood, Dan Scott, Justin Ryan and Mitchell Britton-Thomas. After some tight matches the team managed to run out winners 5/2. The winners were Colin Butterworth, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood, Justin Ryan and Mitchell Britton-Thomas.

This was a fantastic result for the team! We now have 2 wins out of 3 rounds and go into Sundays game against Scottsdale with some momentum.

The other game in Div 7 was Scottsdale v Mowbray. Scottsdale won 7/0

Division 8 had it's first home game against Bridport. The team was in need of it's first win and had a very good side on the course. The team was Don Mackie, Stephen Clarke, Glen Duncan, Leon Towns, John Cullen, Steve Burris and Neil Chenhall. After some very close matches the team won 4/3. The winners were Glen Duncan, John Cullen, Steve Burris and Neil Chenhall.

This week div 8 has it's second game at home against Launceston. Like Div 3, Div 8 will be looking to even up the score at 2-2 before the break.

The other game in Div 8 was Launceston v Exter. Launceston won 6/1


The Ladders after round 3

Div 3
Round 3 saw Bridport continue their winning ways by defeating Exeter away from home. Greens Beach had a hard fought win against Quamby and Exeter remained win less. With three wins Bridport are in a very good position to win the season but they face Quamby this week. Quamby will be out to win this week and keep their chances alive for the rest of the season. Greens Beach hosts Exeter and will be looking to continue their home ground advantage. At this point Exeter have no chance of winning the pennant this year.

Briport 3-0 15/6
Greens Beach 2-1 11/10
Quamby 1-2 12/9
Exeter 0-3 4/18


Div 7
Quamby sits at the top of the ladder by the narrowest of margins. The dominant wins by Scottsdale in the past two rounds have them right behind us. This weeks match up of Quamby and Scottsdale will be a big game in the context of the season. If Quamby can win we will be in the box seat to win the Pennant. If Scottsdale win they will be in the box seat but, Quamby will still be in with a good chance. Mowbray also have a chance to win the Pennant but they are trailing in individual wins, this may hurt them later in the season. Tam O'Shanter look to have no chance to win the Pennant this year.

Quamby 2-1 14/7
Scottsdale 2-1 13/8
Mowbray 2-1 9/12
Tam O'Shanter 0-3 6/15


Div 8
After a big win by Launceston they take the top of the ladder this week. Quamby got it's first win for the year, now they need to keep winning. They have another home game this week against Launceston, that will be tough match. At this point the division is still up for grabs but time is running out fast. Both Quamby and Bridport need to win this week if they want a hope of winning the Pennant this year.

Launceston 2-1 12/9
Exeter 2-1 10/11
Bridport 1-2 11/10
Quamby 1-2 9/12


Undefeated players
After three rounds the club still has some undefeated players. They are John Cullen, Glenn Duncan and Colin Butterworth.

We also have some players that are undefeated for one or two matches. They are Paul Martin for two rounds and Adam Pawson, John Murray, Peter Gardner, Glenn Summers and Andy Barnes.

Also congratulations to Nic Bauld in getting his first win for the club.


Best of luck to all our teams this week!!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Hole in one, Cullen



After years of no hole in ones at my golf club we have had plenty in recent months, the most recent was today. John Cullen made a hole in one on the 15th hole of the Country Club Tasmania course.



Well done John!!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Round 2 Pennant

Round 2 saw the club going up against the AFL. The event conflict meant that a lot of our players were unavailable because they wanted to attend the football instead. We can only hope that the NTGA will get the idea and not book pennant rounds on days the AFL play in the state.

Australia has four football codes, Australian Rules Football (AFL), Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer. In the Southern and Western states AFL rules! Tasmania only gets 4 games a year out of 176 matches. The crowds are generally around 20,000+ and many of the spectators come from Launceston and the surrounding area. The same area where the Pennant golfers come from! It’s no wonder that clubs find themselves struggling to find players when the AFL is on.

We had a lot of people fill in for the club this week, most of them were on short notice. If it wasn’t for Steve Lovegrove playing in Division 3, Peter Gardner playing in Division 7 and Glenn Summers, Owen Smith, John Burt, Andy Barnes and Barry Pearn playing in Division 8, the club would’ve had to forfeit games. So I thank all of them for stepping up to fill the void!

Division 3 had its first home game this week against Exeter. The team was Corey deBruyn, Paul Martin, Duane Morgan, Matt Thomas, Matt Adams, Colin Butterworth and Steve Lovegrove. The team had some tight matches but in the end we managed to win 7/0. This is a fantastic result for the team! With that win we take a lot of momentum into the 3rd round against Greens Beach.

Next week we will have all our players available so the team will have every chance of winning away from home.

The other game in Div 3 was Bridport v Greens Beach. Bridport won 5/2

Division 7 was up against Mowbray this week. They went in with a lot of confidence looking to snatch a win away from home. The team was Richard Fleming, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood, Dan Scott, John Cullen, Mitchell Britton-Thomas and Peter Gardner. The scores were close but they fell just short of victory, going down 3/4. The result is quite good, basically playing Mowbray to a draw. All we need to do is beat them at home by the same margin or better which is very possible. The winners this week were Anthony Burrows, John Cullen and Peter Gardner.

Next week Div 7 is back home to meet Tam O’Shanter. Spirits are still high and we are looking to get a solid win.

The other game in Div 7 was Tam O’Shanter v Scottsdale, Scottsdale won 5/2

Division 8 played away against Exeter. The team was put together on short notice but they performed very well. They lost 4/3 but it was very close to a win with a narrow loss in a play-off. The team was Don Mackie, Glenn Summers, Glenn Duncan, Owen Smith, John Burt, Andy Barnes and Barry Pearn. The winners were Glenn Summers, Glenn Duncan and Andy Barnes.

Div 8 is still to register a win this season but they haven’t played a home game yet. As a general rule you win your home games and lose the away games. The end of season result usually comes down to the number of individual home wins. Next week they have their first home game and they will be looking for a big win to get the season back on track.

The other game in Div 8 was Bridport v Launceston. Bridport won 6/1


The Ladders after round 2

Div 3
Round 2 saw Bridport continue its home course dominance with a win over Greens Beach. It also saw Quamby strike back and have a big win against Exeter. Greens Beach still has an advantage from the first round and Bridport have the early ladder lead, But that could all change next week. The race is on and three teams have a good chance to win.

Bridport 2-0 10/4
Quamby 1-1 9/5
Greens Beach 1-1 7/7
Exeter 0-2 2/13


Div 7
Mowbray sit on top of the table at the moment but, both Quamby and Scottsdale are in good positions going into the next round. Mowbray has had two home games, Quamby has had one at home and one away. Scottsdale hasn’t had a home game yet so they are looking good after an away win. If Quamby can win the next two rounds that will see them in a very strong position going into the break!

Mowbray 2-0 9/5
Quamby 1-1 9/5
Scottsdale 1-1 6/8
Tam O'Shanter 0-2 4/10



Div 8
Again, the results basically went to plan with home wins. Exeter takes the ladder lead after two home games but, if things continue with home victories the field will remain wide open. Quamby get their first home game this week and will be looking to get a win on the board!

Exeter 2-0 9/5
Bridport 1-1 8/6
Launceston 1-1 6/8
Quamby 0-2 5/9


Undefeated players
After two rounds the club has some undefeated players. They are John Cullen, Glenn Duncan, Corey deBruyn, Colin Butterworth and Steve Lovegrove.

We also have some single game players that are undefeated. They are Paul Martin, Duane Morgan, Adam Pawson, Peter Gardner, Glenn Summers and Andy Barnes.

Also we had some players that got their first wins for the club this week. They were Matt Adams, Anthony Burrows and Paul Martin.

Congratulations to all our winners!


Best of luck to all Quamby teams for this week! Let’s keep the wins rolling.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Friday, April 11, 2008

Outnumbered



To see more of my still life images follow this link to my Still Life gallery.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Round 1 NTGA Pennant

Pennant Golf
Each year Tasmanian golf clubs play pennant against each other. It's called pennant because that is what you win at the end of the season. The state is divided up into regions and my golf club is situated in the Northern region under the control of the Northern Tasmanian Golf Association (NTGA). The pennant teams are made up of seven players that play Match Play against their opposition each round.

Match Play
In match play the game is played by holes. The state of the match is expressed by the terms: so many "holes up" or "all square", and so many "to play. The game is over when one player is more holes up than there are to play (e.g. 3 holes up with 2 to play).


Sunday April 6th saw the opening of the NTGA Pennant season. My golf club, Quamby, had three teams entered in different divisions. We have a team in Division 3, 7 and 8. I was appointed the Captain of our division 7 team.

The first round is always uncertain, you never know how good the opposition will be. All you can do is try your best to win and see what happens.

Division 3 had an away game against Bridport. At the last minute I was called up to the Div 3 team to fill in. The players were Corey deBruyn, Matt Marston, Colin Butterworth, Richard Lawson, Matt Adams, Nic Bauld, and Justin Ryan. The team had a good match with several games going to the last hole. Unfortunately we lost the day 5 games to 2 (5/2). The winners for the day were Corey deBruyn and Colin Butterworth.

The other game in Div 3 was Exeter v Greens Beach. Greens Beach won 5/2

Division 7 played Scottsdale at home. This was the first time the club had fielded three pennant teams and Div 7 was the new team for the club. The players were Stephen Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Adam Pawson, Daniel Scott, Denis Lockwood, John Cullen, and Mitchell Britton-Thomas. I'm proud to say the team went very well and managed to win the day 6 games to 1 (6/1). The winners were Stephen Lovegrove, Adam Pawson, Daniel Scott, Denis Lockwood, John Cullen, and Mitchell Britton-Thomas.

The other game in Div 7 was Mowbray v tam O'Shanter. Mowbray won 5/2

As and added note I would like to personally thank Adam Pawson for filling in for me at the last minute in Div 7. Also I'd like to thank Dan Scott for taking over the Captaincy in my absence.

Division 8 played away at Launceston. The players were Don Mackie, Stephen Clarke, Glen Duncan, Scott Limbrick, Steve Burris, Neil Chenhall, and Leon towns. They weren't able to win the day, going down 5 games to 2 (5/2). The winners were Glen Duncan and Neil Chenhall.

The other game in Div 8 was Exeter v Bridport. Exeter won 5/2


The Ladders after round 1

Div 3

With an away win Greens Beach takes a commanding lead in the division. It means both Quamby and Bridport must win at Exeter as well, or beat Greens beach at their home course. However, with 5 rounds to go the season is still up for grabs.

Greens Beach 1-0 5/2
Bridport 1-0 5/2
Quamby 0-1 2/5
Exeter 0-1 2/5


Div 7
Quamby and Mowbray both had good home wins to start the season but, with Quamby getting the extra game win they take the top spot after round 1. Both teams meet this week at Mowbray.

Quamby 1-0 6/1
Mowbray 1-0 5/2
Tam O'Shanter 0-1 2/5
Scottsdale 0-1 1/6


Div 8
All team results basically went to plan in the first round. Two solid home victories to Launceston and Exeter see them share the top spot for now. We will have to see what the results give us after round 2.

Launceston 1-0 5/2
Exeter 1-0 5/2
Bridport 0-1 2/5
Quamby 0-1 2/5


Best of luck to all the Quamby teams for round 2!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Tas Super Series Rd2

Round 2 of the Tasmanian Super Series was held on Sunday 30th of March. It was held at Symmons Plains raceway.

The day was quite good. There were a lot of weather changes during the day and the racing was all good.

I still have a lot of images to process but I have finished some of my favourites from the day. Here are a few of them.























More photos from the day can be found here. I’ll work on getting more images processed in the future.

46th AKA Nationals

During Easter the 46th AKA Nationals were held at the Archerville raceway, near Launceston, Tasmania. I made a trip out to the track on the Sunday for the finals. It was a long day of races but it was worth watching.

Here are a few images from the day.

















The rest of my photos from the day can be found here.