A long weekend in North Queensland

Contributed by Phillip Ellis

My destination was Mackay, North Queensland and the reason for the visit…a Bridge Congress… but do you really need a reason to escape the winter chill to the warmth of North Queensland in June? The Barrier Reef  Bridge Congress is held annually but is shared between the three principal cities of Cairns, Townsville and  MacKay always in the June long weekend. North Queensland  is a beautiful part of the country with azure calm water, the coral reef and tropical rainforests.

I left home early to walk the 400 meters to Broadmeadow station to catch the 7am train to Sydney airport for my flight to Mackay. Already the a gale force southerly swept the  street and by the time I reached the station the umbrella had imploded and the drizzle of rain when I left home,  had become  an almost  horizontal sheet of water lashing and soaking me from head to toe. Arriving at the station I saw the Sydney train…silently waiting at the platform. Thinking I was late, I rushed to purchase a ticket only to be told that this was the 6am train that had stalled here due to a power failure and  yes, they would sell me a ticket but  there were no guarantees that any trains were going anywhere today….While discussing the merits of driving to Sydney    with other passengers caught in the same predicament, there was an announcement that this train would proceed….to Cardiff.

Well it was just a brief 20 minute wait at Cardiff then the train set forth  stoically against the storm force gale and driving rain Sydney bound. After a speedy 4 hours…stopping all stations and some in  between, I arrived at the seamless streamline world of airline travel with electronic check in  and in just under 2 hours I had escaped to  North Queensland bristling with warm, radiant sunny weather. 

I met up with my bridge team mates…Marcia, Roger and Alison and we recounted news of the storms in Newcastle and the weather predictions for the long weekend in Newcastle. Whatever the outcome of the bridge tournament  we  all thought ourselves fortunate to be away from the storms in Newcastle  and thanked the gods for delivering us to the safe haven in the north.

The tournament had it’s ups and downs for us, the worst result was in the Sunday afternoon session, so we exited quickly to find solace in some strong alcohol and excellent food at the local footy club. The final day was two sessions of bridge and Marcia returned to the table spitting chips after the first session,  furious with  the lack of cards i.e. picture cards/points for east west  (Roger and Marcia sat east/west for the tournament and  the ignominy (?)  of defending for the long weekend. In fact the opposition had remarked that they must be husband and wife because of their debates at the table (read …strong expressive opinions)

Our spirits rose considerably after a resounding win in the final session. Ya….hoo!!. A great way to end the tournament. We averaged a little over 13 points per round and bathed in the self titled glory of…“The highest place Newcastle team”.

The event was well organized and  coordinated with plenty of cheerful, but competitive opposition. Excellent meals were provided including delicious lunches  and plenty of home made cakes. Many thanks and congratulations must be lauded on the Mackay Contract Bridge Club for hosting a great event. My thanks and praise go also to my team mates. This was a good team effort and good result considering our combined bridge ranking and limited experience in a significant Congress. We were seeded 62/64 but finished a creditable 48/64. Special thanks to my partner for the event, Alison Reid, who was always composed, shower great concentration, skill, stamina and good humour.

Next year it’s Townsville…… is there another Newcastle team willing to threaten our  title?

Phillip Ellis