Premiership pennant unfurled at the club pavilion

The floral decorations were a feature at the Toowoomba Croquet Club's pavilion on Saturday afternoon on the occasion of the unfurling of the pennant recently won by the club in the Downs premiership competitions. The ceremony was performed by Mrs. W. H. Austin (president, Queensland Association), who, accompanied by representative members of the Brisbane clubs, [?came] specially from Brisbane for the occasion. The pavilion was set with bowls of pink wygelia, azaleas, and larkspurs, which were arranged about the walls against drapings of the club's colours (pale and dark blue). The tables were beautified with crystal and silver bowls of blue delphinium and iris and golden marigolds set on panels of blue and gold tulle, and gay little coloured pennants formed a canopy overhead. After the unfurling, the purple pennant with white lettering flew bravely from the flagstaff on the roof. In introducing Mrs. Austin, the president, Mrs. Oswald Booth, apologised for the absence of the Mayoress and for the Warwick and Allora guests who were unable to get in owing to the bad state of the roads. In her address Mrs. Austin said that she was glad to be present and also pleased that every Brisbane club but one was represented. The association had grown so large that it had been decided to have country pennant fixtures, and she congratulated Toowoomba on having won the first. The association extended now from Ayr in the north, to Murwillumbah in the south, and from Brisbane to Charleville. She was pleased to be able to say that Lady Wilson was a keen croquet player, was an honorary member of the association, and had expressed her intention of playing when her social fixtures were not as exacting as at present. Mrs. Austin also congratulated the unsuccessful players who by their interest had made the country fixtures a success. A vote of thanks to Mrs. Austin was proposed by Mrs. E. J. Rowe (president of the Downs Association), and seconded by Mrs. Gerard Boyce, a foundation member of the club. Mrs. Booth then presented to Mrs. Austin a Toowoomba Club membership badge, and on behalf of the club made her an honorary member. She also presented a beautiful bouquet of delphiniums, lupins, and daffodils tied with the club colours. A vote of thanks to the visitors was proposed by Mrs. C. Fortescue, and was responded to by the Brisbane representatives, Mrs. R. Walsh (West Toowoomba) and Mrs. J. A. C. Wilson (Gatton). A vote of thanks to Mr. [?F]. Owen (Toowoomba Bowling Club) for valued assistance, was proposed by Mrs. Booth, and was carried by acclamation. The Brisbane visitors included, in addition to Mrs. Austin, Mrs. A. Collison (hon. treasurer, Queensland Association), Miss Ena Hetherington (hon. secretary), Mesdames T. Biggs (McIlwraith), H. Salisbury (Sandgate), S. Sowden (Graceville), A. J. Gillespie (Stephens), T. A. Bell (S. Brisbane), Stuart Johnson (East Brisbane), J. F. Fisher (Wynnum), and S. Dexter (Merthyr). Also present were Mesdames J. D. Annand (patroness, Toowoomba Club), Oswald Booth (president), E. J. Rowe (president, Downs Association), Miss Clarice Hooper (hon. secretary, Toowoomba Club), Mesdames Gerard Boyce, F. W. Isaacs, H. Goodrich, Mervyn Dines, F. Bridgman, A. V. Grahame, E. A. Baker, B. Krimmer, F. Hooper, J. B. Kingsford, R. J. Hazard, D. F. Marshall, J. Esler, G. Wagner, J. Lee, M. Corbett, F. Hodgson, C. Fortescue, R. Walsh, J. A. C. Wilson (Gatton), J. Krimmer, G. Cossart, F. W. Isaacs, W. Miller, R. W. McLean, G. C. Norris, S. Stuart, H. Goodrich, Griggs, A. R. Godsall, W. Hooper, W. Thorburn, J. Rogers, J. J. Holmes, H. Jullie (Pittsworth), M. J. Wallace (Adelaide), F. S. O'Connor, E. W. Swanson (Pittsworth), E. A. McConachie, E. Stewart, Misses M. Crowther, C. Clay, B. Hooper, Booth, M. Salisbury, E. Campbell, E. Bridgman.

The article as it was printed in The Toowoomba Chronicle, 3 October 1932. Scan from Trove, National Library of Australia. (Trove, National Library of Australia)