Earlier this week the 'newbies' of 2025 banded together to acknowledge and thank their teachers - Sylvia Goodwin and Shirley Craig - for providing an outstanding introduction to the wonderful world of bridge. These ladies' practical, nurturing approach and extensive 7-month series of beginner and extension lessons really enabled learners to continually develop the basic skills and confidence needed to take their places at the 'real' bridge tables. 

Congratulations to Pauline Erby and Gil Clarke who won this year's Club Pairs event (60%).

 It was a close call with second place going to Lori Adams & Barabara Williams (59%) and a particularly good third place by two of our up-and-coming Restricted players, Jenny Van Nierop & Wendy Edwards (58%).

Well done all! 

(Overall results can be seen in Results tab above).

Demand for our 2026 Congress is strong - the Swiss Pairs Event on Saturday 28 February 2026 is showing full & the Swiss Teams Event on 1 March 2026 is almost full. However, many entries are incomplete or pending. So that the demand and waiting list can be answered, we ask players to complete their entries via MyABF soon.

We look forward to another excellent congress - last year's set a high bar, judging by this year's popularity. More updates will be provided closer to the Congress weekend.

During our recent Annual General Meeting, GLBC President Uve provided an update of our membership, noting with pride the members who have been with us for 25 years or more. We thank them all for their continued presence, support and dedicated bridging.

Pictured from top left are - Christine McLeod (member since 1999); Maree Brady (2000); Pauline Erby (1995); Gil Clarke (2000); Wendy Buender (1999); Megan Watson (1993); 

Big congratulations go to our two teams who competed in the recent GNOT regional finals at Port Macquarie, placing a convincing 2nd and 3rd: Jill & Karl Buchmann, Terry Bodycote & Sue Eishaeur; and Gil Clark, Pauline Erby, Fran & Wayne Carroll respectively.  Results

Both teams have qualified for the next round, qualifying for the nationals, to be played online via RealBridge mid-September. We wish them luck!

This year's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Monday 4 August (11:30 start). Your attendance is important, and as an extra reward, you can enjoy a Devonshire tea before the game. Please consider supporting our club in person.

We are aware that several long-serving committee members are ready to hand on the baton so if you think you can help in any way, have a chat to our President Uve or any other committee member. All assistance gratefully received, however small. 

Yes, it's happening again! Save the date for our 42nd Congress in 2026: Saturday 28th February to Sunday 1st March. We'd love another big rollup of locals. And spread the word to your regional and online bridge friends.

We are also looking for volunteers to organise the Catering and Raffles for both days. Please let Denise know if you're interested.

Members may have noticed the continuing problems with the floor covering in our clubhouse. Our committee have spent long hours attempting and substantial club finances remedying the issue. Below is a summary provided by our President on past efforts and the current status of this problem. 

2019:

Congratulations to our recently promoted members Lynn Mooney and Alison Maberly Smith (Local Masters). And we welcome four new members to our vibrant club. For information about ABF ranks, click here. Also, check out our club’s top 50 most improved players (as of 31 May 2025). 

The Australian Bridge Federation (ABF) has raised annual membership fees to $26.60 per person for 2026, and this will rise again to $29.90 in 2027. The reasoning for the increases can be found here. The NSW Bridge Association also charges $20 per member annually. 

Although these fees together exceed GLBC's current full membership cost of $40p.a., we are grateful to our committee in deciding to not raise our membership fees at this stage.