Card tricks: Lois Donald, Chris Dodgshun and Paul Wendrich enjoy a game of cards at Geelong Bridge Club.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
There’s quite a trick to playing bridge – in fact there are lots of them – so the game takes a little while to master.
But Geelong Bridge Club secretary Chris Dodgshun said membership was now 240, so it can’t be too hard to pick up.
The club also boasts six grandmasters, so it must be playing its cards right.
Chris said the bridge club was one of the few around the region to own its premises, with forward-looking room for expansion included.
The club was almost nomadic in its early years, constantly shuffling from one premises to another due to growth in numbers.
The inaugural hand of Geelong Bridge Club was dealt at the former Royal Commonwealth Rooms on August 11, 1969.
Growing popularity meant a shift to three different homes was on the cards, with members braving freezing halls and cockroach-infested kitchens along the way.
In the early years members learned the game as they went, Chris said.
“There were a few errors in scoring now and then as members grappled with the game’s intricacies.”
Now the club confidently and competently held a variety of events as a fully affiliated member of Victorian Bridge Association.
“We run five or six bridge sessions a week, with regular beginner’s lessons and novice play sessions for people who would like to learn to play bridge,” Chris said.
He was keen to mention that the club recently received a grant from City of Greater Geelong to improve access for disabled members.
“The club provides members and guests with first-class facilities including a library and ample off-street parking,” Chris said with pride.
“The playing area has capacity for 20 tables and is air-conditioned.”
Chris said the feature event for the year, Geelong Congress, was on first weekend in July.
The club’s first congress, or bridge tournament, was at the former Aberdeen Chateau, complete with hostesses to greet players and show them to their seats.
The Geelong club turned the event into a social occasion replete with home-made biscuits, tea and coffee, successful innovations subsequently mimicked by other clubs.
Chris said bridge players across Australia participated in an annual Bridge for Brain Research Challenge throughout the first week in May to support research into Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Geelong Bridge Club is at 148 Portarlington Road, Newcomb. Chris said anyone interested in joining could phone him on 5248 2978 or visit www.geelong.bridge-club.org for more information.
An Ocean Grove Bridge Club is on the corner of Bellarine Highway and Banks Road, Marcus Hill.
