PLAYERS dressed in period clothing brought back memories of yesteryear as Bright Croquet Club celebrated 110 years with an open day yesterday.
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Others chose to dress in club gear dating back to 2002.
“It’s such a great atmosphere and people are really enjoying
themselves,” president Joan Thompson said.
“We have people trying their hand at the game for the first time.”
Bright’s croquet club is the second oldest in Victoria and was formed by goldminers’ wives who were banned from playing bowls in 1904.
“The wives needed something to do while their husbands were off playing bowls,” secretary John Hart said.
“We believe it wasn’t until about the 1920s that men actually became involved.”
Today the club has 38 members with a third of those men — the youngest member is 50 and the oldest is 91.
In 1994, the club went into recess until three life members moved to re-start it in 1998.
Most of the club’s records were destroyed in a fire at the council’s offices in the 1980s.
Yesterday’s celebrations coincided with the town’s Spring Festival, which runs until November 4.