Anniversary / Reunion By Bill Hoad (1988)
Anniversaries bring Reunions,
And from days off now afar,
Falls due one such occasion -
The founding of ‘The Bar’.
For some 60 years ago they came,
Clearing saltbush, sand and scrub,
An intrepid band of characters,
To build the first Surf Club -
Of corrugated iron and slabs;
By lorry load it came,
Then a flag was hoisted proudly,
Which bore the Surf Club name.
And so the club was started,
From beginnings “rather rough”,
But our sporting pioneers were there,
And were fortunately tough.
And they won their heroes medals,
In shipwrecks, we recall,
And in time of river flooding
When the banks were burst, and all
Was chaos in the flatlands
As water roared on down,
Inundating homes and farms,
And much of Taree town!
The growing pains were lightened
By Socials, Do’s and fuss
To “raise the wind” for “exes”
And we rode the “Eggin’s Bus”
To carnivals and such like,
For a ‘shilling’, there in back
With ‘fans’ and club supporters
Even riding on the rack…
And was duly formed a Ladies Club,
Giving strength and moral support;
Patrols made beaches safer,
(With time enough for sport…)
And as I look the club around,
At the pictures on the wall,
I as a one-time member,
Felt all of “ten feet tall”.
I remember well the Rivalry;
The keenness that came up
When clubmen vied for honours –
For some pennant, sash or cup.
I remember champion surfmen,
Visscher, Spargo, Noonan, Scott,
The Chequers, all the great watermen,
Legends all - the lot!
And though I've known some other clubs,
In the moment, as they are,
there's a sentimental “something”, still,
Of my “old days” at “The Bar”!
The place that characters first built,
Clearing saltbush, sand and scrub –
The beginning of what stands today –
The Taree Old Bar Club!
