Twin Rivers opens new courts at Bedford Park

Celebration and jubilation as Club President Ian Every cuts the ribbon and play begins on our new courts at Bedford Park in Eagleby. Opening day on the 14th January was attended by 40 club members, State Government Member Melissa McMahon, Councillor Karen Murphy and Roxanne Horton representing Federal Member Bert van Manen.

The club started when Des and Beryl Schodel and five senior friends started to play Golf Croquet on the cricket oval at the Oliver Sporting Complex in Eagleby in July 2010. By August 2010 the group had grown to 14 players and it was decided to form the Twin Rivers Community Mallet Sports Club Inc.

At this stage players had to bring all the equipment; hoops, balls, corner flags, coils of rope for boundary lines etc, plus picnic chairs, table, thermos flasks and cakes for morning tea, which had to be dropped over the oval's fence. The players then climbed over the fence and set up the courts so play could commence.

By January 2011 players brought a mower from home and cleared down past the cricket oval where two courts were set up, however, after a few months the local dirt bike riders decided the courts were also a good skid pan. After help from Peter Oppermann, the cricket club's grounds man, the club was able to store their equipment and use all the facilities of the cricket's clubhouse so four courts were set up just inside the oval next to the clubhouse.

Membership had grown by August 2011 and first birthday celebrations were attended by Federal Member Bert van Manen, State Member Michael Crandon, and Logan City Mayor Pam Parker as well as guests from Burleigh Heads Palm Beach Croquet Club.

The club continued playing on the cricket oval until September 2014, when changes in the Council Right of Use and Leasing Procedure, plus the Council deciding that the cricket field needed renovating, caused the club to transfer its right of use to Dauth Park. Unfortunately this location was found to be completely unsuitable for playing croquet. The club then moved to the Bethania Sports and Rec Club Inc. at Waterford but, due to problems arising with their club management, the club then leased ground from the Logan Lightning Football Club at Chris Green Park in Beenleigh and started playing there on two courts from May 2015. However, after mowing the two courts the football players decided it was a good area to practise on and their sprigged football boots didn't help the surface of the courts.

In August the club was invited to a meeting with the management and groundkeeper of the Beenleigh Bowling Club. After further meetings the club had special hoops made and play started there in December 2015. Conditions were excellent with well-kept greens with retractable sun shade and lighting for evening play, however, the bowlers did not like us there and claimed our markings were damaging the greens so the club left the Bowling Club on 31 March 2016.

After meetings with the Beenleigh RSL the club obtained a sub-lease to play on the old driving range at the Mt Warren Golf Course where play commenced on 11th April 2016. Here it was necessary to hire a golf cart to transport equipment from the RSL storage shed down to the playing area and for transporting players back up to the golf clubhouse toilets. We had to leave this location in January 2017 when the Golf Club wanted to move one of their greens to a new location which meant the golfers were playing right over our playing area.

The club then moved back to Chris Green Park where four courts were set up at the Buchanan Street entrance on ground leased from the Logan Lightning Football Club and play commenced on 2nd February 2017.

After much discussion and many meetings with council, Councillor Jennie Breene arranged for the club to lease an area of Bedford Park and granted us $100,000 to set up our own dedicated croquet courts. So with council funding assistance, a grant of $30,000 from Federal Member Bert van Manen and a Community Gambling Fund grant of $20,000, the club has finally opened with two courts and a storage shed/shelter with tea/coffee making facilities. At last, a place to call home.

Watch this space for our first Open Day, hoping to see you there.