It was another glorious day for a local derby at the Bowraville racecourse, and punters seemed determined to make the most of it.
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A baby shower party was making good use of their prime lawn position, the Goannas lads were livening up the show, and the Nambucca/Macksville Evening VIEW Club were reveling in the joyous atmosphere around them.
And for one gregarious bunch of Bowra and District gents, the day carried a special sort of significance; local cricketers past and present gathered to reminisce at their (more than) centennial reunion.
Originating around 1886, the four district clubs – Bowra, Argents Hill, Deep Creek, Missabotti – and the family teams like the Mackays amalgamated into what is now the Bowraville Cricket Club in 1966.
And there were a handful of members present today who remember those days before the amalgamation.
One current player tells me it wasn’t that long ago, in the grand scheme of things, that local race meets were paired with a cricket match in the centre oval of the Bowraville Racecourse.
“There was just a cement slab; we had to roll the mats out. And we had to sit down when the races were on. I think they enjoyed the cricket match more than the races,” Steve Wellington said.
There aren’t too many clubs that can stay the course for over a century, so what is it that has kept the Bowraville Cricket Club strong?
According to players, it’s the comradeship, the ritual drinks after games, and the ability to laugh at themselves.
“Isn’t the reason you played because you love ducks?” Mark Smith jibes.
“I couldn’t help it, my Mum was called Daisy Duck,” Les Murdoch laughs.
And it’s the selflessness of the non-players too – volunteers like veteran scoresman, Rex Hart, today honoured with a long-term service award – who keep the heart and spirit of the club ticking over.
But if you ask the man of the moment, who came to Bowraville for a long weekend back in 1978 and never left, he’ll tell you that it’s the charm of Bowraville, and the people who comprise it, that engenders such lingering loyalty.
“I agree. Bowraville’s the little town with the big heart,” Winston Peden said, who now resides in Coffs Harbour: “an outer suburb of Bowraville”.