The Traralgon Bridge Club Annual General Meeting heralded a big start to a new year of bridge in the Latrobe Valley.  Outgoing President, Don Tylee, reported on a very difficult year for the club in 2020 but signalled bright times ahead for both old and new members. 
Having been flooded out of their former premises at the Traralgon Recreation Reserve in June 2020, the club has now found a new home at the Masonic Lodge function room in Oswald Street, Traralgon. 
Members are also now coming back to bridge after the difficulties and interruptions of COVID-19 restrictions and table numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic numbers.  “It was a very difficult with interruptions to our calendar meaning that some annual championships could not be held and there were changes regarding mask and contact rules that made continuity of play rather difficult,” Don noted. 
Don’s last action as President was to award Moira Hecker with Life Membership of the club.  “Moira has been on the committee for 18 years and has held numerous leadership positions both at Traralgon Bridge Club and in the regional bridge association.  She has been recognised for her willingness to step into difficult roles when needed and also for organising regional and state-wide congresses for the club,” he said.  
The AGM has heralded in a new era for the club – with a new committee and office bearers who have stepped up to lead the club.  New President, Greg Nicholson has brought together an enthusiastic committee who are concentrating on developing new members and learning opportunities for all players.  “Now that we have an excellent facility at our disposal we can once again welcome new members into the club and help them to take up this wonderful game”, said Greg.

(Photo) Outgoing President, Don Tylee (left) presents Moira Hecker (middle) with her Life Membership, with incoming President Greg Nicholson (right) looking on.

The Reynolds Team were the victors in the Teams Championship with an excellent performance over the two weeks.  Mark and Deb Reynolds combined with Kevin and Marion Taylor to defeat the Graham Team, comprising Rob Graham, Ken Tierney, Egbert Tzoe and Fred Kaminski by 4.39 victory points in the five-match game.  Both teams won four of their five matches in very convincing style.

The second week of Traralgon Bridge Club’s Thursday Pairs Championship provided a very close finish with Anna Field and Ken Tierney just beating Glenis Lohr and Egbert Tzoe by 0.14 percent.  Anna and Ken played an excellent game in the second week to catch Glenis and Egbert who were the early leaders after round one.

Players will now turn their minds to the Monday Teams Championships to be played soon.  Club President, Anne Den Houting said that one of the best things about bridge is that it can be played in a variety of formats which suit different styles and skill levels.  “Teams are formed by two pairs and the competition is more like match play”, she said.  “This often suits players who are good at defence and can be even more tactical in its nature”. 

If you are interested in learning to play bridge, please contact Helen on 0438 164 528.  Free lessons are available and there is no obligation to join the club.

22 March 2021

Marion and Kevin Taylor have taken out the first championship for the year at the Traralgon Bridge Club, winning the Monday night Pairs Competition over two weeks recently.  They managed to hold off an excellent second week performance by Mark and Deb Reynolds to win by 3.5 percentage points.  Ken Tierney and Rob Graham finished in third place, just ahead of Barbara Brabets and Anne Moloney.  The results were: Marion and Kevin Taylor 58.84 percent; Mark and Deb Reynolds 55.42 percent; Ken Tierney and Rob Graham 51.41 percent; Barbara Brabets and Anne Moloney 51.27%. 

9th March 2021

We are now successfully running two sessions per week - following the new COVID protocols and using table screens - with our biggest turnout in 2021 so far being 8 tables.  We are allowed to have up to 48 people in the club room (11 -  12 tables) on the condition that we are setup to use a QR code to check-in players.  Whilst we can supplement this with sign in sheets it is preferred that we use QR technology as much as possible.

To check-in using QR you MAY need to download a QR reader app on your smartphone - or some newer phones have QR reader built in. I use the Service Victoria app but you can use any other reader.  Then, when you come to the club you will see sheets on the COVID monitor table and inside the bridge venue.  Just open your app, position your phone above the scanning area on the sheet.  It then should automatically scan and on the first time will ask for your name and phone number.  After that if you save your details it will just remember them for next time.  You will know that it is successful when you get a big green tick.  If there are current COVID exposure sites in Victoria, we do need to ask if you have been to any of them - there are lists of these sites that you can view as you come into the club.

We only have 8 screened tables so any member who needs to use a screened table for health reasons should speak to the director who will organise this.  We want all members to feel safe when they come to bridge.  Correctly fitted and worn masks are mandatory at all times inside the club room - your mask must cover your mouth and nose at all times.  Please respect other members and the current COVID laws.  Please also speak to director if you are unable to use sanitiser or have a mask exemption.  One thing I have noticed about the screens being on the tables is that it is a bit more difficult to hear and there is a bit more noise bouncing around the room.  But it is much more fun than on-line bridge and so nice to see friends again. 

This year's AGM will be held on Monday 29th March at 6:30pm and will be followed by the 2nd week of the Monday night teams championship.  Please put this in your diary.
 
A big thanks to Phillip Goode who has agreed to Direct our Thursday pairs championship - stay tuned for dates.

Thanks once again for your cooperation and good humour as we negotiate our way through our return to bridge.  We have had a number of compliments and enquiries from other clubs who are keen to follow our example.  

We couldn't do this without you.   
cheers
Helen

2020

Tuesday January 21st - Traralgon/Sale Interclub at Traralgon

Table fees to be donated to Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund to assist with the bushfires.

Morning tea will be supplied

Friday February 14th - ERBA Masterpoints workshop

Starts at 10 a.m - BYO lunch

Saturday and Sunday February 8th and 9th 

ERBA Congress in Bairnsdale

Saturday 22nd February and Sunday 1st March

Much the same Bridge basics one day course on both days with some practise.

Designed for new and potential members but of course all members can attend on either or both days

10.30am to about 4pm - Free

Contact Barb Brabets 5174 7903

Remember to invite any of your friends who may be interested in trying out Bridge.

Monday 16th March - AGM

 6p.m. start - Pizza and Drinks supplied

Please get any nomination forms for committee and Life Members into Marion ASAP (they need to be in 28 days before the AGM to be valid)

At this stage we will need a new President and a new Secretary.

Spotlight on Ros McEvoy – committee member, function organiser, and Christmas bridge winner!!

Ros has had a very busy time lately, working with a small group of members to bring us Cup Day, two Christmas dinners, and our first Friday night dinner and bridge. As a committee member she is always first to put up her hand to help get things done. She has an interesting relationship with a meerkat and often blames it for any bids that don’t quite work…

She also gets a bit excited when she wins – perhaps explains the sling?

But we really enjoy her company, when we can coax her out of the office!

Thanks for your great work Ros 

Traralgon Bridge Club members enjoyed their annual Cup Day celebrations recently. One of the highlights of the club calendar, members shared a BBQ lunch with delicious salads and desserts as they battled it out for the cup day honours.

Players came from Berwick, sale and Leongatha to join in the festivities and help to create a challenging field

of twenty-nine pairs.

At the conclusion of play Rob Graham and Glenis Lohr were the winners in North/South, whilst Kevin and Marion Taylor took the East/West honours with an amazing 74 percent. Members then watched the 'race that even stops bridge' as the lucky ones enjoyed some sweep winnings.

First Tuesday in November.

Starts 10.00am

The game and BBQ meal is free for members.

President Helen implores all members to "get in early" by entering their names on the sign-up sheets. One sheet for players and another for volunteers to supply either a salad or a dessert.

The day will be opened up to other clubs and there will be a limit of 17 tables and if your name is not in you will miss out on a great day.

Acting president Joe awarding the prize to the Sunday Teams event winners, from left to right Richard Moss, Dina Drury, Deborah Anglim and Jack Kuiper.

The club ran a very successful congress over the weekend of 17 & 18 August.

Whilst numbers were slightly down, with some members on holidays and others with winter chills, the event was a success with close competition held in an excellent venue at the Traralgon Greyhound Club.

The Saturday pairs event was won by Lindsey Robinson and Chris Fernado who won all six of their matches for the day. Stan Klofa and Dee Harley were runners up.

Traralgon players did very well in a high class field, with Rob Graham and Glenis Lohr winning the prize for the best Traralgon pair, with their 6th placing. Anne Howes and Egbert Tzoe also did extremely well with a top ten finish.

The teams on Sunday was won by the South Gippsland team of Deb Anglim, Dina Drury, Jack Kuiper and Richard Moss. Traralgon players once again did very well with Robyn Couch, Ken Tierney, and Lynne and Lou Veenstra coming fifth and winning the prize for the best Traralgon team.

Congresses enable our members to play against some of the best players in the state and are considered to be some of the toughest competition for regional players.

These opportunities cannot happen without a dedicated Committee and many individuals who help to make the weekend a success. Traralgon Bridge Club would like to sincerely thank Marion Taylor for convening the congress and devoting many hours to making sure that it was a success. Also a big thanks to Moira Hecker for finding such a great venue

TRARALGON BRIDGE CLUB

2019 CONGRESS

17 & 18 AUGUST

Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club,

66 McNairn Road,

Traralgon

(Turn right at Bunnings onto McNairn Road, continue until you pass the brick wall of horse racing club then take first left onto gravel road. Go over the horse racing track into the greyhounds complex)

VBA Regulations apply

System cards are mandatory and highly artificial systems are not allowed.

Current ABF procedures are enforced.

Use of mobile phones in the building will attract penalties.

Traralgon Bridge Club members travelled to Meeniyan on Tuesday to play the annual interclub event against South Gippsland Bridge Club. Twenty-four members were warmly welcomed by South Gippsland President, Neville Chapman and were treated to an excellent afternoon tea at the conclusion of play.

Marion Taylor and Anna Field won in the East/West position for Traralgon whilst Helen McAdam and June Clarke did best for Traralgon in the North/South, finishing third.

This is the majority of the Committee for 2019 and after a little secondment session at the first committee meeting all positions are now filled.

Shown from left to right are committee members Ros McEvoy, Secretary Marion Taylor, Vice President Joe Taylor, Director Barb Brabets, Ex President now committee member Moira Hecker and new President Helen McAdam. Missing are Treasurer John Marsiglio and committee member (Maintenance) Chris Oberink.

Many thanks to our previous committee members especialy ex President Moira Hecker for years of hard work and Anne den Houting as vice President for a number of years.

I am sure I represent all members in wishing the new committe well in all their future endeavours.

Ken Tierney has become Traralgon Bridge Club’s seventh home club member to reach the level of Silver Life Master. Ken recently received his award from the Australian Bridge Federation and was presented with his certificate by club Masterpoints Secretary, Lynne Veenstra.

Traralgon pair, Marion and Kevin Taylor won Eastern Region Bridge Association Pairs Championship at the regional congress held recently at Morwell’s Kernot Hall. The event was hosted by the Traralgon Bridge Club and attracted the best players from across the Gippsland region.

Traralgon Bridge Club President, Moira Hecker, said that the regional championships were a highlight of the bridge calendar. “We were particularly proud that a Traralgon pair were able to win this event in the year that we were hosting”, she said. “Marion and Kevin were playing against high quality opponents all day and held their nerve to have a win in their final match against excellent players in the final round to secure their first place and the championship.”

Marion and Kevin will have their names engraved on the Martin Willcox Shield and go on to represent Gippsland in the Victorian Pairs Championships in Melbourne in March.

Moira Hecker and Helen McAdam also did very well to come fourth in the pairs event and they will go on to represent the region in the Victorian Women’s playoffs in April.

Dear Players,

Tuesday and Thursday sessions will continue as normal over the Christmas/New Year Period, with the exception of Christmas Day.

Monday sessions will continue as normal with the exception of Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

Regards Marion

The Traralgon Bridge Club team of Moira and Robin Hecker, Don Tylee and Helen McAdam has qualified to represent Gippsland at the Grand National Open Teams final in Tweed Heads in November. 

Each year, Gippsland clubs play in heats to determine the best teams from the region.  Those teams participate in a regional final, and the top two teams then go on to represent the region in the national  final.  The Traralgon team will play against the top sixty teams from across Australia in the three day event. The final is a wonderful opportunity for regional teams to be able to play against champion State and national teams.

Traralgon Bridge Club sent four of it's champion pairs to the Victorian Bridge Association recently to play off in the Victorian Champion of Champions event.

Moira Hecker & Helen McAdam; Robyn Couch & Ken Tierney; Anna Field & Hannah Green; and Marion & Kevin Taylor represented the club at the statewide event.

Moira & Helen made it into the final playoff field and finished 9th overall in the champioship field. Anna & Hannah also did well to finish 4th in the plate field.

Traralgon's Lyn and Lou Veenstra came FIRST in Australia in the recent Nationwide Pairs event. This event was contested by 486 pairs from 25 clubs across Australia.

Congratulations to Lyn and Lou who scored a massive 70.11% in their win.

Our 6th Annual Congress will be held at Kernot Hall, Princes Drive, Morwell on the 18th and 19 August 2018. We are very excited to be able to use this great venue to welcome players from across Gippsland and beyond. Please note the new venue and look out for the Bridge Congress signs as you drive into the Federation Tafe/Kernot Hall complex.

Saturday pairs starts at 11:30am and there will be short mid-afternoon break for your BYO lunch. Sunday teams will commence at 10:00am and a light lunch will be provided.

We are particularly keen for less experienced players to come to our friendly congress with restricted and novice prizes up for grabs as well as a new prize for the pair and team who improve the most places in the competition.

Entries to be put on Bridge Unlimited or contact congress convenor Marion Taylor on 0409 277 922. Marion can also help to arrange a partner or team mates. All enquiries and questions to Marion. We hope you will join us!

Here is a view of the renovated clubrooms as we finished playing on Tuesday 29th May, play recommenced back here last evening.

Many thanks to all the volunteers that attended the working bee on Sunday to empty the container and set things up. 

Barbara Kurosinski passed away after suffering a stroke on Friday 9th September. She was an early member of the Bridge Club when they played at the CWA rooms. Barbara was a quiet lady who had the most infectious laughter which lightened the mood in the room. Quite often she would end a conversation with the expression "Oh truely". Barbara will be missed by current partners Dawn Cameron and Ken Tierney as well as the rest of the Traralgon Bridge Club. Our condolences go out to Peter and family.    

Jean Barbour and Greg Nicholson (ranked 14^th) won the Open Pairs Championship with Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney (ranked 15^th) finishing second of the eligible Pairs. Jean and Greg will now be invited to represent the Eastern Region in the Victorian Butler Pairs Final.  Geoff Davidson and Fred Kaminski (ranked 35^th, finished 8^th) came second in the Intermediate section. Marion and Kevin Taylor (ranked 49^th, finished 16^th) won the Novice section. Anna Field and Joy Moreton (ranked 50th, finished 38th) came 3^rd in the Novice section.

In the Teams section Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney teamed up with Julie Farmer (Lakes Entrance) and John Brazier (Bairnsdale). They were ranked 8^th and won the Shield for the Best ERBA Team. Jean Barbour and Greg Nicholson partnered Shirley Stewart and John Farr from Phillip Island. They were ranked 3^rd and came second. Both teams will represent ERBA in the State Country Teams Final. Helen McAdam, Moira Hecker, Don Tylee and Robin Hecker came second in the Intermediate section. Marion and Kevin Taylor paired up with Deb and Mark Reynolds (ranked 16^th, finished 8^th) to come runners up in the Novice section.

Our 3rd Congress was played at our clubrooms on 23 & 24 August with 72 players participating. The winning Pair was Bairnsdale's Judy Banks and Anne Kearon. Beat ERBA Pair were Geoff Davidson and Fred Sundermann and the best Traralgon Pair were Ken Tierney and Michael Zarb. The winning team was the Middleton team from Melbourne. Best ERBA team was Judy Banks, Anna Kearon, Mike Larcombe and George Campbell. Best Traralgon team was Rhonda van Dyke, Heather Knorr, Geoff Davidson and Fred Sundermann. To view Congress Results Pairs    http://www.laikel.bridgeaustralia.org/teamresults.asp?id=1686  Teams   http://www.laikel.bridgeaustralia.org/teamresults.asp?id=1687
 

Helen Porter, Wilbert Smits, Marion Taylor and Barbara Barr inspect the cup day treats

There will be a "deuce prize" and prizes for the best hat etc.

Ken will be here again running all sweeps and providing an interest in watching "the horse race that stops a nation",

Joe and the Saturday Pairs Event Runners Up (onthe left Dee Harley and on the right Stan Klofa) congratulate Lindsay Robison (sitting) for winning the event, Lindsay's partner Chris Fernando is missing from the photo.

Joe awarding the Sunday Teams event  third place prize to from left to right, George Campbell, Anna Kearon, Judy Sandor Varga and Joe Banks

Club President, Helen McAdam, said that these interclub events were not only a wonderful social occasion, but provided the opportunity to play against different players and learn some new tips and techniques from some of the best players in Gippsland. “We appreciate the relationship that we have with all Gippsland bridge clubs, but this day in Meeniyan is always special for us”’ she said.

Eight teams battled it out over two weeks to decide the Monday Handicap Teams Championship. The team of Rob Graham, Kay Baxter, Fred Kaminski and Egbert Tzoe came home in a very strong second week performance to take top honours, narrowly beating the team of Peter Lonie, June Clarke, Kevin Taylor and Marion Taylor.

Club President, Helen McAdam, congratulated the team and noted that it had been a very big fortnight for Rob Graham who was also part of the winning Traralgon Grand National Open Teams event and also paired with Peter Lonie to score more than 70% in a recent Thursday club competition. 

Congratulations to all twelve teams who competed this  year in a very closely contested 2019 Tuesday Teams Championships.

The team of Fred Kaminski, Fred Sundermann and Anita and David Hawkins finished as the winners with 160.34 VP's after week two of competition.

Glenis Lohr, Rob Graham and Lou and Lynne Veenstra finished second with 151.30 VP's.

Anne Howes, Hannah Green, Pat Still, Doreen King and Egbert TZoe finished in a very hotly contested third place with 134.00 Vp's.

In the Sunday teams competition, Traralgon players Fred Kaminski, Egbert Tzoe, Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney did well to come fifth in a strong field.

Two more items of interest

The new Thursday competition commences at 1.00pm (remember to arrive at least 15 minutes before this)

The Tuesday Teams events are coming up rapidly so put your team on the list on the noticeboard. Dates are Tuesday 12th and Tuesday 19th of February.

Monday's Dinner and the evening  was a great success very similar to last Tuesday's Dinner, except the hearty rendition of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was performed by duet Helen and Heather who also danced their way through the performance.

The poor deuce prize was tossed around all night again and again finished with Ken Tierney. (Ken is considering going professional).

The pictures of all the happy winners are shown above with N/S being won by Hannah Green and Pat Still with 59.52%, E/W winners were a very happy Helen Porter and Anne Den Houting with 63.10%, the Secret Percentage (51.2%) was won by Monika Cornell and Michael Zarb with the incredibly close score of 51.19%. Hannah Green was an obvious winner of the Best Dressup prize

Highlights of the week include a top score of 7NT by Lynne and Lou Veenstra in the Thursday competition, whilst Rob Graham and Glenis Lohr scored a massive 73.38% on Tuesday.  These are very rare achievements in competitive duplicate bridge.

Sunday supervised play is still doing well and anyone interested in learning more about bridge is welcome to attend at 1pm at the Bridge Club at the Traralgon Recreation Reserve.  Please call Helen McAdam on 0438 164 528 if you are interested in learning this great game.

The club has purchased several sets of bidding boxes so players can have a go at using them - these are used overseas and at the VBA in Melbourne, instead of paper bidding slips, and are surprisingly easy to use.  They will be available for players to practise during Sunday play this week.

Traralgon Bridge Club members recently competed for the prestigious CFA Trophy.  This is a teams event, played over two weeks, in which a more experienced pair is matched with a less experienced pair to form a team.

The trophy was donated by the Traralgon CFA and is much appreciated by club members.  President, Moira Hecker, explained that the bridge club rooms are used by the CFA on winter evenings to do their practice runs.  “We are very pleased to have such a club share our facilities, and as a gesture of appreciation, the CFA donated a trophy for us to play for, “ she said.

“We thought a teams event would be perfect as it reflects the great work that the CFA do in working as a team to help to protect our community.”

This year’s winners are Michael Zarb, Gael Feore, Anne Den Houting and Ros McEvoy with a total of 156 points.  They held off two teams – the Tierney and Taylor teams –  who tied for second place with 153 points. 

Marion presents Melbourne team of Stan Klofa, Michael Gurfinkel, Lindsey Robinson and Chris Fernando with the Open Teams event prizes.

Our Monday Winter Gala night will be held on the 23 July.

Members are welcome to join us at the clubrooms for a festive meal at 6pm, with bridge to commence at 7:30pm.

To help with catering please sign up at the club or contact Helen on 0438 164 528.

Marion and Kevin Taylor won the Traralgon Bridge Club’s Monday Pairs Championship in a closely fought event that was played over two weeks. They played excellent bridge on the second night to come from third position to take out the title and record their first ‘honour board’ win in club competition.

Helen McAdam and Moira Hecker finished second, whilst Robyn Couch and June Clarke also had a good second week to finish third overall. 

The Tuesday Pairs were played on February 13 and 20. The 2017 champions were Anita and David Hawkins from Robyn Couch and Anne Howes with Gael Feore and Michael Zarb taking out 3rd place.

Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney teamed up with Barbara Barr and Peter Lonie to win the Best ERBA Team category in our Congress on August 21. They won 4 of their 6 matches to finish in 5th place. Moira Hecker (President) presented them with more wine and chocolates.

The Monday Handicap Pairs Championship was played on February 1st and 8th with Helen McAdam and Moira Hecker coming out on top. They won both before and after the handicap was applied. In 2nd place was the pairing of Jocelyn Pilmore and Rhonda van Dyke with Elizabeth and Bill Morrish coming third. .  

Pat Still and John Sutton were 2 players who enjoyed the friendly rivalry between Traralgon and South Gippsland Bridge Clubs on May 5. Travelling to Meeniyan and braving the elements went 8 tables of intrepid Traralgon members. It was a great day of renewing acquaintances and making new ones. Bring on the 1st Tuesday in March when we host our neighbours. 

photo - Anne den Houting, Robert Smallwood, Ken Tierney and Chris Oberink

13.5 tables participated in the Traralgon - South Gippsland Interclub held on March 3 in our rooms. A 2 board/round Mitchell was played with South Gippsland winning both N/S and E/W sections. The return match will be played at Meeniyan on May 5 commencing at 11:00. 

Traralgon Bridge Club will trial Bridge on Friday nights from Friday 22nd November 2019.

The first one will be Bridge and a Meal (a light meal, don't get too excited) and it is anticipated that a meal will available about once a month.

Bridge and a meal will cost $10 and just bridge will be the normal $5 table fee.

Feel free to bring your own drinks.

To assist in figuring how much food to supply please write your names on the sign-up sheet on the board.

Traralgon Bridge Club has recently completed two handicap teams championships at the club. Club President, Helen McAdam, said that teams events are an interesting form of the game, where good defensive technique is rewarded. “It is a bit like golf match play”, she said. “ Two teams play against each other in a match comprising between six and nine boards, or hands. Each team will play against all others and the winner is usually the team that wins the most matches.” “In handicapped teams, an experienced pair is teamed up with a less experienced pair which evens the field and makes for a very exciting, and often very close competition”, Helen added.

The Tuesday handicap teams event was won by Geoff Dixon, Jocelyn Pilmore, Lynne Veenstra and Lou Veenstra.

Tuesday Handicapped Teams: Dixon team 157 VPs, Elkington team 147 VPs; Baxter team 142 VPs. 

Monday night players then played for the CFA teams shield, also a handicapped event. Winners were Barbara Brabets, Doreen King, Marion Taylor and Kevin Taylor.

Monday CFA team shield: Brabets team 64.12 VPs; Tierney team 54.45 VPs; McAdam team 52.87 VPs

Joe awarding Best Traralgon Team prize to from left to right Lynne Veenstra, Lou Veenstra, Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney

Heather Knorr and Rhonda Van Dyke took out the Bridge Club’s Monday night pairs championship recently.

Played over two weeks, this is one of two open pairs championships played by the club each year and is a real test of skill stamina. Heather and Rhonda were clear leaders in the north/west position after the first week, with Heather Watt and Anne Howes leading the east/west position.

In the second week, they held on from an excellent performance by Fred Kaminski and Egbert Tzoe to win the event by 0.47%, with Marion and Kevin Taylor close behind in third position.

Club President, Moira Hecker, congratulated all pairs on their performances over the two weeks. “it is great to see such close competition,” she said. “Heather and Rhonda have been an excellent and consistent pair over many years and it is wonderful to see their names added to the honour board.”

Membership fees are now due, being $30 full membership and $20 associate membership.

You can pay by cash or cheque to John, or by bank transfer.

Details are BSB 633108 / Account number 159521640. Please add your surname if paying by transfer so John knows who it is.

Kind regards, Marion

A great day was organised by Marion and the committee and it and the meal were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

After a rousing rendition of "Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer" by duet Geoff and Pat the following prizes were awarded:-

N/S winners Greg Nicholson and Jean Barbour with 60.47%

E/w winners Anne Den Houting and Ken Tierney with 64.09%

Mystery percentage (49.3%) winners were Bee Bodin and Liz McKenzie

Best dressed up was shared by Phil Goode and Robyn Couch and her reindeer

The deuce prize (the poor little soft elephant) was tossed from one winner to another all day but finally came to rest with the final winner and was awarded to Ken Tierney

The club has been attracting big fields in its weekly competitions and has decided to add a Thursday Competition session to its program.

The club will trial this for two months with a view to making it a permanent session in its calendar.

Members have responded well to this initiative, with six tables competing last Thursday.

Ken Tierney & Robyn Couch scored a very impressive  70.37% to win the inaugural Thursday session.

The Traralgon team of Robyn Couch, Ken Tierney, Don Tylee and Helen McAdam won the award for the best gippsland team and finished sixth overall.

Four of our volunteers at the Congress on the first day.

The team of Peter Lonie, Glenis Lohr, Janet Woollacott and Jo Leslie have won the Tuesday Handicap Teams Championship this year.

The winners came into the second round with a good lead and they won by four points from the team of Fred Kaminski, Elizabeth Morrish, Joe Taylor and Ros McEvoy.

Dear Players,

please note that the Phillip Island Congress dates have been changed from July 28 and 29 to September 1 and 2.

Regards, Marion

This is a view of the new Rooms as we were playing this Sunday.

We will be located here for 4 to 6 weeks while our own Clubrooms are renovated

Congratulations to Dawn Braham, Fred Sundermann, Glenis Lohr and Rob Graham who are the winners of our recent Tuesday Teams Championships played over the last two weeks.

Second place was taken by Robyn Couch, Anne Howes, Fred Kaminski and Elizabeth Morrish well done.

The Raffle Winners were 1st Nick Nadebaum, 2nd Pat West, 3rd Jan Williams

The Monday Handicap Pairs was played on February 20 (Mitchell) and February 27 (2 x Howells, the N/S in one and the E/W in the other). Week 2's scores are combined to produce 1 winner and then combined with week 1 results to produce the Overall winning Pair. The handicaps are then applied to give us the Handicap Champion Pair. 

From the January and February Promotions Report:-

Egbert Tzoe who has been promoted 

from **Local Master to State Master (50+ points)

Corinne Oberink who has been promoted 

from Nil to Graduate Master (2+ points)

Joe Taylor who has been promoted 

from **Local Master to  Regional Master (50+ points)

Barbara Barr who has been promoted 

from *State Master to National Master (150+ points)

Well done everyone

The Best Traralgon Pair in our Congress on August 20 was Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney. They won 5 of their 7 matches and finished in 6th position overall. Moira Hecker (President) presented them with wine and chocolates. 

The 2nd Latrobe Interclub was played on September 23rd by 16 Traralgon pairs and 19 Devonport pairs. This years hands were dealt by Devonport. As per usual there were some weird hands but everyone played them. Bridgewebs rescores the club results across the field to produce the overall results. The 2014 winners were Anne Howes and Robyn Couch (Traralgon) 65.30%, 2nd Bob White and Ian Farmer (Devonport) 58.79% and 3rd Lynne and Lou Veenstra (Traralgon) 58.18% 

Monday Events

January 20th - Nationwide Pair

February 3rd - Monday Pairs

February 10th - Monday Pairs

February 17th - Nationwide Pairs

January 21st - Traralgon /Sale Interclub at Traralgon

February 4th - Nationwide Pair

February 18th - Handicap Teams

February 25th - Handicap Teams

 Barbara Brabets, Doreen King, Marion Taylor and Kevin Taylor with the CFA teams shield

After two weeks of competition the results were very close with the team as shown of Monika Cornell & Michael Zarb with Anne Howes & Heather Watt winning with 74 VPs.

Coming second were the team of Fred Kaminski & Egbert Tzoe with Rob Graham & Fred Sunderland with 70 Vps.

Third place was taken by the team of Mark & Deb Reynolds with Kevin & Marion Taylor with 68 VPs.

Marion and Kevin Taylor won the Most Improved Pair prize.

Marion presents Melbourne pair Peter Nolan and Maxine Porter with the Open Pairs Title prize

and here is another group enjoying a Winter Gala, no sign of the "Deuce Prize" though.

Here's one group of players enjoying one of the recent Winter Gala's.

Congratulations to Ros McEvoy and Joe Taylor for winning the Traralgon Novice Pairs Section last monday evenining with a score of 65.97%. 

This score was adjusted later and became 72.3% at a national level with Joe and Ros finishing in third position in the whole of Australia.

Mark and Deb Reynolds finished in 81st position nationally after their score was adjusted and it is a great credit to the club to have two pairs within the top 100 pairs in Australia.

60 members and guests played on Cup Day which set a new record for entries in this event. Visitors came from Berwick, Leongatha, Warragul and Sale.

Winners for the day for North/South were Ken Tierney and Anne Den Houting, whilst East West winners were Glenis Lohr and Peter Lonie.

Pictured are Laurie Bojoksten and Carl Jenkins who won our recent Tuesday Handicap Pairs Championship, congratulations.

Well done also to

Elizabeth Morrish and Fred Kaminski who were runners up in the event with Doreen King and Hannah Green coming third.

The 2015 Tuesday Teams Championship was played by 10 teams over November 17 and 24. The team of Anne Howes, Robyn Couch, Anne den Houting and Ken Tierney came home with a wet sail to win 8 of their 9 matches.

Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney travelled to Sale on March 13 & 20 to compete in their Open Pairs Championship which they duly won. Lynne and Lou Veenstra took out 3rd place. 

Best Monday Results

23rd December - Howell - Fred Kaminski & Egbert Tzoe - 74%%

Best Tuesday Results

26th November - E/W Pairs - Anne Den Houting & Ken Tierney - 66.26%

10th December - N/S Pairs - Peter Lonie & Fred Kaminski - 68.25%

31st December  - Howell - Egbert Tzoe & Fred Sundermann - 67.74%

Best Thursday Results

21st November - Howell - Greg Nicholson & Rob Graham - 66.67%

5th December - Howell - Peter Lonie & Marion Taylor - 66.94%

9th January - Howell - Peter Lonie & Marion Taylor - 71.88%

Marion presents Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney with the best Traralgon Pair prize

Marion presents Egbert Tzoe and Fred Kaminski with the best Restricted Pairs Title prize

Marion Taylor  is taking over from Jocelyn Pilmore as the Partnership Co-ordinator, she will send out emails on the clubs address of bridgeintraralgon@gmail.com and her phone number is 0409 277 922

Many thanks to Jocelyn for all she has done over the years.

The Individual on Tues 17th April has been moved to Tues May 15th - put names on List on board

Sunday play is going to revert to Supervised play, teaching and social bridge (no green points). Hands will be discussed and strategies will be practised etc.

Everyone is welcome not just new players.

This two week event was concluded some weeks ago with the 2018 winners being Glenys Lohr & Rob Graham with 60.11%.

Second place were Ros McEvoy & Joe Taylor with 58.96%

a close third place were David & Anita Hawkins with 58.59%

This one takes the cake. Robyn is congratulated by club president Moira for her promotion to Gold Life Master (750 points with 450 points earned in regional and national level events)

Robyn said that she has enjoyed many highlights in her bridge career, and has particularly enjoyed representing Gippsland at the Grand National Open Teams event at the Gold Coast; the Women’s and Seniors State playoffs at the Victorian Bridge Association; and the Restricted Pairs national playoffs in Canberra.  “Bridge has given me a lot”, she said. 

“But the biggest thrill of all was when I received my first promotion to Graduate Master after playing for a year.  It took a lot of learning and fun to accumulate those first 2 masterpoints”, she said.  So now, after another 748 points, Robyn is just one step away from being a Grand Master.  That will take another 250 gold and red points, but it seems that Robyn is up for the challenge. (Go Robyn)

Fred Kaminski and Egbert Tzoe had a 74% on Monday 23rd December followed by that top pair of Marion Taylor and Peter Lonie on Thursday 9th January with a 71.88%.

Well done everyone.

Lynne and Lou Veenstra, Anna Field and Jocelyn Pilmour enjoy good company and a delicious Cup Day lunch.

Play finished just in time for members and guests to watch Rekindling win the cup and celebrate their bridge and horse tipping prowess.

Irene Pappas is shown in our clubrooms this week receiving the Bairnsdale Congress Annie Rijs award from Bairnsdale Congress Convenor Phil Goode after her success last week, well done Irene.

Helen McAdam and Moira Hecker paired up with their husbands Don Tylee and Robin Hecker to win the Monday Teams Championship. The 2nd placed team of Barbara Brabets, Doreen King, Gavin Wigginton and Michael Zarb. Both teams had 7 wins and 1 loss from their 8 x 6 board matches.

Joe Taylor and Ros McEvoy won the Novice Pairs Title.

Players appreciated the space and comfort of Kernot Hall.

Doreen King has become our newest National Master, having accumulated over 200 masterpoints.

Doreen is a much loved member of the club, and has been playing bridge for over 25 years.

At age 88, she is still playing very competitve bridge and has won many club titles over the years.

Club President Moira is pictured at the AGM with outgoing secretary Ros Hunter and outgoing treasurer Don Tylee.

Many thanks for all the hard work done by last years committee especially these two retiring members.

Helen would like to announce that we are moving our Saturday Bridge to Sunday Bridge starting at 1.00pm.

A partner is not essential, if you don't have a partner for the day just turn up and you will be accommodated.

We played our Monday Teams Championship over the past two weeks.

In a very close result, the experienced team of June Clarke, Robyn Couch, Rhonda Van Dyke and Heather Knorr won with 92.25, with the new up and coming team of Mark and' Deb Reynolds and Marion and Kevin Taylor coming second with 90.77.

Club President Moira Hecker is shown congratulating the winners.

Moira's team of herself and Robin Hecker and Don Tylee and Helen McAdam came third with 84.40.

While he was at it Phil also presented Anna Field and Doreen King with the Directors Award from the Bairnsdale Congress, congratulations ladies.

Top Handicap players - February

Monday winner - Pinky Te Paa

Tuesday winner - Adrienne Bouzaid

Saturday winner - Insufficient numbers

The player who beats their handicap by the most for the month will receive a free table pass. This award is given for the best Monday, Tuesday and Saturday players. The only requirement to be eligible for these prizes is that you can miss only 1 week in the month.  

Robyn Couch was awarded Life Membership for 15 years of service to the Traralgon Bridge Club. Robyn has been President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Committee member for 12 years. She has been a Director and Masterpoint Secretary for 11 years, has prepared the diary for 7 years and has done the newspaper reports and web site for 10 years. Robyn has become the "go to" person for information in the Bridge Club.   

Pictured are members of the Committee after the AGM.

From the left is new Club Treasurer John Marsiglio, New Vice President Anne Howes, President Moira Hecker and new Club Secretary Marilyn Taylor.

Ok did anyone spot the deliberate mistake other than Ken.

Oops my mistake its obviously ANNE DEN HOUTING who is the new Vice President.

My apologies. Thanks Ken.

Rob Graham and Fred Sundermann won the Pairs title on Saturday, with an excellent score of 84.76.

Lou and Lynne Veenstra also did very well, finishing eleventh overall and winning the special prize for the best Gippsland Pair.

1st Place:                R Graham and F Sundermann

2nd Place:              P Nolan and M Porter

3rd Place:               S Klofa and R Gallus

Best Traralgon:      Lynne Veenstra and Lou Veenstra 

Best ERBA:          George Campbell and Sangor Varga

Best Restricted:     Barbara Barr and Fred Kaminsky

Directors Prize:     Doreen King and Irene Pappas.

Here is President Moira Hecker presenting our newest Life Member Helen McAdam with her certificate at the AGM

On Sunday, Fred Sundermann won again in the teams event with Monica Christopher, Corrie van Lier and Jeanne Anderson.

Here is Club President Moira Hecker with the team.

Also on the winners were Traralgon members Monika Cornell and Kathleen Elkington who were members of the team that came third.

1st Team: Monica Christofer, Fred Sundermann, Jeanne Anderson and Corie van Lier

2nd Team: Jan Hackett, Tom Hackett, Penny Corrigan and Kae French

3rd Team: Phillip Goode, John Brazier, Monika Cornell and Kathleen Elkington

Ken Tierney and Anna Field took out the Monday night Handicapped Pairs Championship that was recently held over two weeks at the Traralgon Bridge Club.

At the end of the event Helen McAdam and Moira Hecker were leading outright, from Don Tylee and Robin Hecker.

However, when the handicaps were applied, Ken and Anna proved that they were playing well above their handicap, with Pat Still and Monika Cornell also playing extremely well to come second.

2019 ended with a big promotion for Don Tylee who became a Bronze Life Master. Don has been playing for about fifteen years and has won both club and statewide events. He is a two-time winner of the Charlie Snashell Trophy which is awarded to the best restricted team at the annual Victor Champion Cup in Melbourne. He has also represented Gippsland three times in the Grand Open Teams final in Tweed Heads. Don has now accumulated over 400 masterpoints, of which 240 have to be won at the red or gold level.

Christmas will be celebrated again this year on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday 9th December starting at 6.30p.m. (so we can eat).

Tuesday 3rd Dec at normal time 10.30a.m.(we eat at lunch time)

Deuce prizes etc. in fact, good fun, good food and good company so come along and have a good time

Christmas bridge and food is FREE, however it is only available for members.

As usual we need to know how much food (and beer and wine etc.) to supply so please write your names on the sign up sheets if you are coming.

Egbert Tzoe, Pat Still, Helen Arnup and Anne Howe discuss their tactics.

Hannah Green, George Valentine, Pauline Verhoven, Dagmar D'Arcy and Pat Valentine enjoy the day.

Tuesday Handicap teams winners – Geoff Dixon, Lynne Veenstra and Lou Veenstra. Jocelyn Pilmore absent.

June Clarke has completed a wonderful week of results at the Traralgon Bridge Club recently. On Monday night, she paired with Peter Lonie to take out the Handicap Pairs Championship; and backed this up with a win with Helen McAdam in the club’s Tuesday event. She then capped off a great week with a win with Michael Zarb in the Thursday competition. The handicap pairs event was held over two weeks and was very closely contested with Marion and Kevin Taylor coming a close second to June and Peter, with Barbara Brabets and Doreen King taking out third spot. 

Director - Martin Willcox

                                 __________

Convenor - Marion Taylor

bridgeintraralgon@gmail.com

                                  __________

       Saturday Pairs

         11:00am Start

          BYO Lunch

               $40

            ______

      Sunday Teams

      10:00am Start

     Lunch Provided

             $45

            ____

Cash prizes for open

  teams and pairs

Novice and Restricted

   prizes both days

ARNUP HELEN, SPITHOVEN PAULINE, ARNUP BRUCE, STRICKLAND ALISON, BAXTER FRED,TAYLOR JOE, FEORE GAEL, TZOE EGBERT, GOULDING DI, VALENTINE PAT, GREEN HANNAH, VALENTINE GEORGE, HARVEY SARAH, WOOLLACOTT JANET, HOURIGAN PAMELA, KEITH IAN, MARSIGLIO JOHN, MCEVOY ROS, OBERINK CORINNE, REYNOLDS DEB, REYNOLDS MARK, SMALLWOOD ROBERT,

Dear Players, It is going to be a busy month or so in the local bridge world, so here are some dates of important events coming up

• .WINTER GALA. This will take place on Monday, July 8, and Tuesday, July 9, at the club rooms. Complimentary lunch or dinner of chicken and salad, plus drinks, will be provided. Please sign up at the club rooms.
•  ERBA Novice Pairs.This will be played at the Traralgon Club on Tuesday, July 9. Lynne has kindly provided a list of eligible players which I have attached, and advises that we need at least four pairs to run the event. Please sign up at the club. If you play at Sale, check the dates carefully so you don't turn up to the same event twice.
• The Individual planned for Monday, July 1, has been POSTPONED till further notice
• WEEKEND WORKSHOP with Mary Elson - Taking place on July 13 and 14 - all welcome. Please sign up at club rooms
• Lakes GNOT - July 7. Entries to Sandor Varga at sv57@bigpond.com by Weds, July 3

Also, Dawn Cameron on behalf of the Solo group has thanked the members for allowing the group use of the facilities over many years. The group is no longer using the rooms on Friday mornings.

I think that's it for now! Thank you everyone, Marion

Glenis Lohr and Rob Graham won the Tuesday pairs championship which was held in May. Glenis and Rob had a great day and finished strongly to just pip Anna Field and Marion Taylor for the honours. Anne Den Houting and Ken Tierney finished well in third place.

Traralgon Bridge Club was proud to announce that Greg Nicholson has reached the rank of Grand Master. Greg is a home club member at Traralgon and is the first to have achieved this rank in Traralgon.

Whilst Greg learnt bridge as a child, he has only been playing competition bridge for eight years. He formed a very successful partnership with Jean Barbour and travelled to many congresses across Australia to earn the 1000 points required to achieve this special rank.

Club President, Helen McAdam, presented Greg with his Grand Master certificate, chocolates and wine, on behalf of the club and Greg’s name will be placed on the club’s honour board.

SYSTEM CLASSIFICATIONS AND SYSTEM CARDS A GUIDE FOR NEW PLAYERS By Peter Busch

Regulations require that each player at the table has an approved system card that opponents can refer to. This is in accordance with the general principle that your opponents are entitled to know everything about your system and agreements that your partner does. Your opponents can refer to your system card and/or they can ask your partner about the agreed meaning of your bid or play. The system card is divided into several areas:

Basic system This will be Standard American for most new players, though it might also be Precision, 2 Over 1, or Acol. There are others but these are quite rare.

Classification by colour: This is a broad classification of your bidding system and only refers to your 1-level opening bids. The options are green, blue, red and yellow.

Green is the most common, and says that all of your 1 level opening bids are natural and promising at least 8 high card points. Suit bids must have at least 3 cards in that suit, but if you have a 4-4-3-2 shape with 3-2 in the minors you may open 1♣.

Blue systems include a strong 1♣ or 1♦ opening. The most common is Precision where the 1♣ opening is strong and forcing and might not have any clubs. Opening bids of 1♥, 1♠ and 1NT are natural but the 1♦ opening can be artificial.

If any of your 1 level openings is artificial, including a short 1♣ (except for 4-4-3-2 precisely) then your system is Red.

As for Yellow systems, don’t even go there! These are known as HUM systems, standing for Highly Unusual Methods, and include things like an opening pass that shows values, or an opening bid at the 1 level which denies an opening hand.

Any of these systems can also have a Brown Sticker. This means the system has particular bidding sequences which the regulators feel might need special defence. They are reasonably uncommon, but an example is where you have an opening bid at the 2 level that shows a two-suited hand but neither suit is known e.g. 2NT shows 5/5 in either the minors or the majors.

Remember that this is only an introductory guide and there are exceptions to the above. If you have any unusual agreements, you should refer to the official system regulations on the ABF web site for a definite answer on your system classification.

(http://www.abfevents.com.au/events/tournregs/ABFSystemRegs14.pdf) 

Main Points 

Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th February 2019

Convenor Helen McAdam Ph. 0438 164 528

Email hen302@bigpond.com

Entries on line at bridgeunlimited.com

Moira Hecker has recently been promoted to the rank of Sliver Life Master by the Australian Bridge Federation. Since commencing her bridge journey in 2001, Moira has accumulated over 500 Masterpoints to reach this milestone. This has included playing in State and National level competitions to gain the necessary red and gold points. Moira has contributed a great deal to the club as a Committee Member and is the current club President. She says that she has enjoyed the social and competitive side of the game and has been keen to put something back into the club and to help other people to take up this great game. She has also been President of the Eastern Region Bridge Association, a delegate to the Victorian Bridge Association and has just returned from representing the Gippsland region in a national teams competition in Tweed Heads. Traralgon Bridge Club now has six home club Silver Life Masters, which is a great achievement for a smaller rural club. 

The Tuesday Teams Final was also fought over two weeks with this team of Jan Williams & Pat Davies with Janet Woollacott & Doreen King taking the prize with 159 VPs.

The team of Ros McEvoy & Dawn Cameron with  Pieternel Griffioen & Geoff Dixon & Joe Taylor came second with 152 VPs.

Third place went to the team of Greg Nicholson & Jean Barbour with Lois & Lynne Veenstra with 151 VPs.

Players appreciated the space and comfort of Kernot Hall.

Traralgon Bridge Club has decided to reward all players who score 70% (or more) with a free table pass for their efforts. Congratulations goes to Anne den Houting and Ken Tierney for achieving 70.75 % on Tuesday 2nd January.

Last monday night four new players made their debut at the club in regular competition. Make welcome to the club Dianne Golding, Sandra McLees, Ken Casson and Kathryn Natoli. Kathryn did particularly well pairing with Helen McAdam to finish second East/West.

The Traralgon GNOT heat was played on February 26 with 8 teams participating and playing 7 boards per round. The Traralgon team of Anita and David Hawkins, Glenis Lohr and Rob Graham were successful by .9 from the Sale/Bairnsdale team of Libby Thomson, Lorraine Robinson, Joan Courtemanche and David Hudson. Our team will now play in the Regional Final to be hosted by Traralgon on September 17.

Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney won the Sale Mid-week Pairs Championship. It was played on October 12 and 26. They were very consistent with 56.19% and 56.43%.   

The Latrobe Interclub was played at Traralgon on Tuesday 20th September and Devonport on Wednesday 21st September. Both clubs play the same hands with the scores being recalculated when the results are uploaded to the website. This year's winners are Traralgon's Glenis Lohr and Rob Graham.  

Glenis Lohr and Ron Graham successfully bid and made 7NT on Tuesday 28th February and have each earned a free table pass.

Robyn Couch and Anne Howes successfully bid and made 7NT on Tuesday January 24. They have each earned a free table pass for their efforts.

Robyn Couch and Ken Tierney along with Doreen King and Dawn Cameron also earned a free pass for doing the same on Saturday 28th January.