Twenty-four enthusiastic Novices battled it out this morning in the Australia-Wide Under 100MPs event held at our club. Everyone was on their very best behaviour as they displayed their improving bridge skills. We commenced at 9:00am and finished at 12:30pm with a presentation of Certificates to the Winners. 

Souvenir booklets were given to each participant so they can compare their results with the expert's choice of correct bidding and line of play for each hand.

Placings were as follows:

North/South

We are running a two week GNOTs (Grand National Open Teams) on Tuesday, 9 and 16 June.

Eight teams have already registered and we are aiming for 12 teams. 

We are very fortunate to have arranged for John McIlrath to direct this event for us. 

This is the only local event which offers gold points for wins. 

Hurry and organise your team today and add your names to the online list.

With thanks to the hard-working volunteers that made this happen, Taree bridge players converged on the Club's new playing room last week. Although some small tasks are yet to be completed, all who played last Saturday (pictured) were impressed with the new room's natural light, airiness and space. Well done committee and friends!

PS  For those yet to play there, the room is alongside our previous area and may be entered from the rear as before, and also via the front glass doors. Parking remains the same.

Welcome to our new, regular segment where we will interview club members in an endeavour to get to know them a little better.

Our first cab off the rank is Dawn Calvin.

1. How long have you been playing bridge?

I started with lessons which were run on a Saturday morning at Taree High School in 1996. So, I’ve been playing for 30 enjoyable years.

2. What is your best bridge memory?

For those of you who may be wondering who Carol Wood was - here is a short explanation.

Carol came to our Beginner Lessons last year and from the first she was an enthusiastic student. Her friendly personality won her many friends in the group and I was impressed by her sincere desire to learn and improve.

Sadly, some weeks into the course, Carol was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. The prognosis was not good. Despite this she continued to attend lessons until Graduation (even arriving in slippers with a rug at the end). Carol never complained.

Sunday, 26 April saw our Club host its inaugural Carol Wood Novice Tournament for players with less than 20MPs.

It was an exciting day as we hosted 34 participants from Taree, Great Lakes, Camden Haven and Port Macquarie. All those taking part were focused and showed just how much they have already learned about the game and bridge etiquette. We ran a Mitchell movement in the morning followed by an Integrated Howell after lunch.

Well done to all who participated. The top three results in both sessions were:

MORNING MITCHELL

This Monday we celebrated with seven new Bridge Graduates. They are, from left to right, Paul Menzies-McVey, Chris Robinson, Gail Hansen, Judy Yarrington, Kathy Hancox and Jennifer Beckett. Kaye Wallace (was unable to attend the Graduation). 

The students survived the intensive 10 week Course with both their sanity and sense of humour intact.

Lynne baked a delicious orange and almond cake (including syrup and whipped cream)! The students kindly presented Sue with a beautiful bouquet of roses and some scrumptious chocolates. These were much appreciated.

The Carol Wood Novice Tournament is open to everyone who had less than 20 Master Points as at 1 January, 2026. This is a Pairs event and green points will be awarded to the top half of the field.

It will be held at Taree Bridge Club, 21 Manning River Drive, on Sunday, 26 April, 2026, starting at 9:00am and finishing with our presentation of prizes at around 4:00pm.                                              

Taree Bridge Club Committee would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Members and Associate Members a joyful Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. 

We hope you all have the chance to relax with family and friends, recharging your batteries, ready for the challenges of 2026.