YOUR local bridge club is spearheading the construction of its own club house; a club house which, when completed, it hopes to share with like-minded groups.  

Thanks to a lot of hard work over many years allied to successful applications for grants and the almost unbelievable generosity of members, construction should start this month.

There is still a long, long way to go before the club will be debt free so fund raising continues apace.

So it was, that bridge playing Margaret Rowden conceived the idea of a musical evening with a French theme.

Successfully overcoming various setbacks Margaret and her troupe were finally able put on the show, courtesy of The Grange auditorium, on Saturday 3 June.

And what a fabulous evening it was for the lucky 92 who were fortunate enough to attend the performance.

Concert pianist and composer Michael Harvey had the audience spellbound with his formidable talent.

Margaret, our own beautifully bespangled Musical Director/Producer and her artistes Diane Williams, Florence Beatty, Cathie Henry, Jill Davies, Neil Kibble, Roger Chivers, Neil Clifton and John Beatty, entertained with songs, skits and a Can Can!

Such wonderful talent coming together in our little village.

Roger Chivers’ rendition of “Bring him home” from Les Miserables produced tears in the eyes of the audience yet was only one of many highlights.

There was also a ton of talent hidden in the kitchen for what emerged was tasty, flavoursome and delicious.

Chefs Bea Treharne and Helen Blackbourn, ably assisted by their husbands and visiting helpers/friends – produced a fine French-themed three-course meal.

The tables and the décor were all beautifully set up and complemented the evening’s theme.

So many thanks to Jean and Adrian Ryan, Susan Helsen, Neryl Grehan, Sylvia Schmeding, Gordon Morrison and the Committee all of whom contributed to the evening’s success.

Thanks also to Eric White (or was it Hercule Poirot?) and his impromptu performance as auctioneer for cakes and other goodies.

The amount raised will be more than $3,500, every penny of which goes towards building the Clubhouse.

The extraordinary amount of hard work and dedication put into staging this event resulted in a very rewarding outcome for a good cause.

Alas, the talent exhibited on stage, at the piano and in the kitchen was somewhat missing when it came to photography.   Michael’s talent at the keyboard was so formidable that the photographer got the shakes so apologies to our special guest performer.