Lismore's spirits lifted by Alstonville Friendship Day, and Casino Croquet Club offers a warm welcome

Friendship: one of the best elements of our game

When you're down and out, lift up your head and shout "There's going to be a great day". And that day, courtesy of Alstonville (N.S.W.) Croquet Club, came at just the right time for Lismore.

Spirits at Lismore Croquet Club were low. The shadows of the February 2022 floods were keeping the club in permanent gloom; unable to host District events; unable to make a cup of tea in the partly restored club house; the lawns favouring good luck against good play; and membership numbers falling. Misery feeds on misery and although the morals remained intact, the morale did not.

There are, in this world of croquet, certain people who can't see gloom without doing something about it. Up at Alstonville, the sister club, two such apothecaries of unhappiness, Ken Samuels and Daphne Fulloon, prescribed a Friendship Day for Lismore players. The rest of Alstonville Croquet Club got behind the idea and went at it with zest.

Wow, what a fun day it was. The Lismore guests were engulfed with smiles, warm friendliness, happily contested short games of Golf Croquet, cakes, scones like your favourite aunt used to bake, cucumber sandwiches (yes, they really exist) and more scones, and many a healthy serve of laughter. The club came home from Alstonville with morale right back up where it used to be.

They really know how to operate the happy machine up there at Alstonville Croquet Club. Well done and thank you to Ken, Daphne, Sandra, Fred, Lorraine, Sonja, Steve, James, John and so many other wonderful members of Alstonville Croquet Club.

Jim Yeo at the Friendship Day at Alstonville.

Lismore and Alstonville members enjoying refreshments during the Friendship Day.

Lismore and Alstonville players during a friendly game of Golf Croquet.

Alstonville (green and white uniform, left) and Lismore (blue and white uniform, right) teams together. Alstonville Captain Daphne Fulloon is 2nd from left, Ken Samuels is 7th from left. Front row: Lismore Captain Fay Ross is 3rd from right, Vice Captain Deborah Matten is 2nd from right.

A Star for Casino

Casinos have had some bad publicity lately, but one Casino shines brightly and that is Casino Croquet Club.

When the 2022 floods flushed Lismore's croquet lawns away, the club became a croquet club without croquet. It is a universally acknowledged truth that "You can take a croquet player out of the game but you can't take the game out of the player". Forlorn and frustrated Lismore players looked like having to sit out a lot of months watching the grass growing back on the lawns.

Two aces from Casino changed all that. Leonie Condon and Mary Ayshford, a high-powered duo of moving and shaking at Casino Croquet Club, moved and shook their club and Lismore was invited to use their lawns on Mondays and to participate as guest members in their regular club competitions.

Casino Croquet Club members in their red shirts and white shorts on the lawn.

Casino members relaxing together on a bench.

Two welcoming Casino members on the croquet lawn.

Casino Croquet Club came up trumps. Their hospitality could not have been more welcome. The members could not have been kinder, the players more friendly. Truly a shining star in a very gloomy sky.

By Jim Yeo and Deborah Matten, Lismore. From the Croquet Newsletter, July/August 2023, pages 18-20.