You could say that Bram Lang, Richard Saunders,
Norm Brailey, Baz Binge, Bill Clemow and George
Hannaford are pretty lucky to have formed such
a great connection in the later part of their lives.
The men would tell you that it’s nice to know
they have friendly faces to play bowls with
every Tuesday afternoon.
With the absence of George, who at the time
of the interview was by his wife’s hospital bed
in Brisbane, Bill explains that the only excuse
for failing to show is if you or your wife has
a doctor’s appointment.
The tradition began more than 10 years ago,
when Bill, Bram and Norm decided to start
bowling with another former resident after
their weekly organised §tness class.
“Before you know it, Richard wanted to play bowls
with us. Then another gent started playing bowls
with us,” Bill reminisces. “And so that’s how we
got to be.”
You might think that The Six Pack gets its name
from the number of gents involved, but they
explain that six is just an easy number with which
to organise a weekly game. The real reason for
the name stems from a post-match ritual.
“You couldn’t get any beer in those days,” says
Bill. “We thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for
someone to bring along a six pack.”
“The village had to get a license to have a bar
so there was no bar. We brought our own – we
brought a six pack. And that’s where it got its
name,” Richard adds.
The gents agree that the six pack provided
just enough beer. One each, they laugh.
So, in typical Aussie spirit, Tuesday afternoons
were transformed into a weekly catch-up for
a relaxed game of bowls, lots of laughs and
an ice-cold beer.
“It’s something regular that we look forward to,”
Bram says.
These blokes aren’t sticklers for the rules:
a questionable coin toss is used to determine
each gent’s position for that match.
“YOU COULDN’T GET ANY BEER IN
THOSE DAYS. WE THOUGHT IT WOULDN’T
BE A BAD IDEA FOR SOMEONE TO
BRING ALONG A SIX PACK.”
UNITED BY BOWLS AND BEER,
SIX RESIDENTS FROM THE GARDENS
ON LINDFIELD HAVE BEEN COMING
TOGETHER WEEKLY FOR A SPOT
OF AFTERNOON “MEN’S TIME”
FOR THE PAST DECADE.
Meet the
six pack
