As we reach the end of what has been a big year for NSWBA, I wanted to thank you for your support in 2023, and tell you about the exciting new year ahead.
As we approach the holiday season we thought we’d let you know briefly where we are at in terms of the separation project for NSWBA.
After the Extraordinary General Meeting on 6 November 2023, we are now back on track to continue our preparations for the separation of the NSWBA into two new organisations.
The State Open Teams Finals were held online on November 24-26. Congratulations to the CURRIE team representing the Western Zone, the winners of the State Open and Country Teams Championships.
State Open Teams Winners
John McMahon, Charles McMahon, John Currie, Philip Glover
The State Open and Country Pairs Championships were held at the NSW Bridge Association on November 18-19.
State Open Pairs Winners
Hui Li and Patrick Jiang
State Country Pairs Winners
Kevin Tant and Lauri Perino
The State Novice and Restricted Teams was held at the Central Coast Bridge Club on November 11-12.
State Novice Teams Winners
Dave Havyatt, B Rewers, Julie Rollinson, Margaret Havyatt and Alan Bustany (Director)
State Restricted Teams Winners
David Purkiss (President), Gail McKenzie, Lisa Rush, Martin Brown, Michael Hogan and Alan Bustany (Director)
Motion One failed with 74 votes in favour and 107 votes against.
The Amendment to Motion Two to replace "special resolution" with "ordinary resolution" failed with 73 votes in favour and 97 votes against.
Motion Two (unamended) failed with 65 votes in favour and 114 votes against.
I would like to thank the members who attended, both in person and via ZOOM for their patience with the protracted counting of each vote.
John Scudder
Chairman
The Council has decided to increase some of the prices paid by players in most of the events organised by the SBC and the Events Committee from 1 November, 2023. (Updated 17 October, 2023)
There is a lot going on at NSW Bridge Association (NSWBA) and you might ask yourself, “What does this all mean? And how is this going to affect me?”
The NSW Bridge Association (NSWBA) is going through a restructure that will result in the separation of its two functions, that of being the state body for bridge in NSW and a large Sydney based Bridge Club.
These changes, and the tasks needed to create two independent bridge bodies, have given rise to a number of questions. Follow the link below for answers to some of the most frequently asked ones (FAQs).
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the NSWBA will be held on November 6, 2023.
Notice is hereby given to all voting members of the New South Wales Bridge Association Limited (the "Company") of an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on Monday 6th November at 6:00pm at Level 1, 162 Goulburn Street, East Sydney and remotely by ZOOM.
- Notice of EGM
Clause 15(1) of the Constitution states:
(1) The management of the Company shall be vested in the Council which may exercise all such powers of the Company in pursuance of its objects as are not, by the constitution, required to be exercised by the Company in general meeting, subject nevertheless to any provision of the constitution and to the provisions of the Act and to such directions, being not inconsistent with the aforesaid constitution or Act, as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting; but no direction to Council made by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of Council which would have been valid if that direction had not been made.
- Proxy Form
There has been much helpful feedback from members and clubs about the planned separation of the NSWBA into the Sydney Bridge Club (SBC) and Bridge NSW (BNSW). Some do not see the need for change and might reasonably be concerned about these plans. A common question has been "Why are we doing this?"
The two proxy boards have developed "sustainable budgets", which show the likely financial position of both entities after separation.
There were 457 pairs competing in the 2023 State Wide Pairs, fractionally below the pre-pandemic maximum of 464.
The winners were Jacky Gruszka and Mary Poynten from the Sydney Bridge Centre with 70.12%.
The State Open Pairs Championships will be held on 18-19 November at the NSWBA. All players who have not qualified via a club are invited to enter directly.
If you can only play on the Sunday, you are invited to enter the Spring Pairs Congress. All pairs who do not qualify to the finals of the State Open Pairs receive free entry to the Congress and do not need to enter.
The Central Coast Bridge Club is hosting the State Novice & Restricted Teams on 11-12 November at their clubrooms. All players with fewer than 300 masterpoints on 1st September, 2023 are invited to enter.
» State Novice & Restricted Teams Flyer
Subsidised by the Australian Bridge Federation
This meeting is ideal for those with at least a little practical directing experience, those moving towards club/congress accreditation or as a refresher.
Speakers: Laurie Kelso and others
Topics including Adjusted Scores, Appeals Process, Calls and Plays out of Rotation, Claims and Concessions, Common Misconceptions, Comparable Calls, Compscore3, Dealing Errors, Director Error, Electronic Devices viz. Bridgemates
9 am to 4 pm AEST (Queensland Time)
Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th October 2023
Only $10 per person for the whole weekend
RealBridge and BAMSA (Bridge: A MindSport for All) have arranged a free online conference on 7/8 October 2023. The conference will feature speakers from all around the world, on a range of topics that will be useful to teachers and coaches.
The event website is here: https://realbridge.online/teacher-coach-conference-2023.html
It is a free event. Please sign up to learn more about the schedule, and to receive updates.
The topics are:
- Information on new approaches to teaching
- Channels, ideas and tools to market the game and the services
- Benefits of providing or earning accreditation
- How teachers can become the best version of themselves through personal development
- Youth players: organizational considerations, successes, issues, attitudes of schools
- Best ways to teach children and youth: practices, techniques, interactions, differences from adult teaching
- Approaches to coaching: supporting and overseeing the entire development of a player
There will be 15 speakers presenting live. There will be 10+ who have created videos in advance. Confirmed speakers are from Europe, USA, Asia and Australia.
A special 4-day Youth Beginners Course during the upcoming school holiday.
Date: 4 days from 25th - 28th September 2023 (Monday - Thursday)
Time: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Venue: Level 1, 162 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills
Course Fee: FREE
It's great if you can attend the full course, if not, come on in to meet some teens, sure you will be able to catch up in our on-going Wednesday Youth Night.
Please call Wing on (02) 9264 8111 to enrol.
In this update Mary Anne Loveridge, Acting Chair of the Club Proxy Board and Glenda Parmenter, Chair of the State Proxy Board share the purpose and objectives as defined by the groups they lead.
The State Veterans Championships concluded on Friday, August 4. 30 pairs and 12 teams competed. The winners were:
Pairs: Malcolm Carter and Tony Hutton
Teams: Michael Seldon, Chris Dibley, Michael Simes and Paul McGrath
» results
Thank you for your questions and other responses to our last update about the NSWBA Transition. It is wonderful to know that so many of you feel passionately about the future of bridge.
In the most recent message, we introduced the Transition Committee that will oversee the evolution of the NSWBA.
It’s been a while since the last update on how we are moving forward with the restructure of the NSWBA. We aim to strengthen the future of Bridge across NSW with the objective of setting up two new focussed organisations for success.
Congratulations to Marelle Irvine, the winner of the 2023 NSW State Individual, held online on the BBO platform on July 29.
Work on the NSWBA restructure continues and we need your help. Want to find out more?
The Tomaree Bridge Club invites players who have turned 70 on or before December 31, 2023, to play in the NSW State Veterans Championships to be held from Tuesday 1st to Friday 4th August 2023 at the Horizons Golf Resort in Port Stephens.
The format is 3 sessions of Matchpointed Swiss Pairs followed by 3 sessions of Teams.
» Enter (via My ABF)
Organiser: Kay Baguley
Mobile: 0417 046 485
Email: bkbaguley@yahoo.com
The NSW State Individual will be held online on BBO on Saturday July 29, commencing at 10am.
Players of all levels are invited to participate in this fun matchpoint pairs event where your partner and opponents are different each round.
For more information and to enter please go to My ABF
Starting Monday 10th July ....
Good luck to all NSW players at the ANC, in Perth, playing in the Interstate Team Championships.
Open Team - Paul Dalley, Tony Nunn, Pauline Gumby, Warren Lazer, Lavy Libman, Tomer Libman, David Fryda (NPC)
Women's Team - Anita Curtis, Ruth Tobin, Judy Mott, Cathryn Herden, Lynn Kalmin, Lorna Ichilcik, Marcia Scudder (NPC)
Seniors Team - Paul Lavings, Nigel Rosendorff, Avril Zets, Peter Buchen, Nazife Bashar, Kinga Moses, Matthew Thomson (NPC)
Youth Team - Tamara de Mel, Ellena Black, Duncan Lai, Adrian Le, Alex Heller, Magnus Eadie, Mitch Dowling (NPC)
The team to represent NSW in the ANC Youth Teams in Perth in July will be:
Tamara de Mel, Ellena Black, Duncan Lai, Adrian Le, Alex Heller and Magnus Eadie. The non-playing captain is Mitch Dowling.
Mitch Dowling (Captain), Alex Heller, Magnus Eadie, Duncan Lai, Ellena Black, Tamara de Mel Inset: Adrian Le
Congratulations to the ANC Seniors Team for 2023.
2023 Senoirs ITS Winners
Nigel Rosendorff, Nazife Bashar, Paul Lavings, Kinga Moses, Peter Buchen, Avril Zets
The team to represent NSW in the ANC Seniors Teams in Perth in July subject to council ratification will be:
Paul Lavings - Nigel Rosendorff
Avril Zets - Peter Buchen
Nazife Bashar - Kinga Moses
» results
Congratulations to the ANC Women's Team for 2023.
2023 Women's ITS Winners
Anita Curtis, Ruth Tobin, Judy Mott, Cathryn Herden, Lynn Kalmin, Lorna Ichilcik
The team to represent NSW in the ANC Women's Teams in Perth in July subject to council ratification will be:
Anita Curtis - Ruth Tobin
Judy Mott - Cathryn Herden
Lynn Kalmin - Lorna Ichilcik
» results
Congratulations to the ANC Open Team for 2023.
2023 Open ITS Winners
Lavy Libman, Tomer Libman, Warren Lazer, Pauline Gumby, Tony Nunn, Paul Dalley
Subject to ratification, the team to represent NSW in the ANC Open Teams in Perth in July will be:
Tony Nunn - Paul Dalley
Warren Lazer - Pauline Gumby
Tomer Libman - Lavy Libman
» results
The winners of the 2023 State Seniors Championships held at the Central Coast Leagues Club, May 30 - June 2 were
Pairs: Liz Adams and Peter Gill
Teams: Robbie Feyder, Liz Sylvester, Steven Bock, Paul Dibley
The Winter Season of our successful Online Pairs League is fast approaching. The deadline for registrations is next Monday July 3rd and the first of eight weekly 12-board matches starts on Thursday July 6th.
There is a Question and Answer session on RealBridge this coming Thursday June 29th from 7pm. Come along to check out your online settings, ask questions about the League, and maybe meet some of the other competitors.How does your partnership stack up in a League competition against similarly ranked pairs from around the State (and Country)? Why not give it a try to find out?
Some NSWBA members and players in Goulburn St and Canada Bay have raised questions and concerns about the NSWBA restructure. Thank you to many who have openly shared. We need to speak candidly to understand each other and find an optimal solution.
In January 2023, John Scudder, the Chairman of the NSW Bridge Association (NSWBA), advised of the major recommendations of the NSWBA Strategic Review and shared the executive summary of that report.
To repeat, the major recommendations and priorities of the strategic review were for the NSW Bridge Association Limited, which currently owns Sydney Bridge Centre, to:
- create clear legal separation between the NSW state peak body (which manages bridge across NSW and supports all affiliated clubs) and the local Sydney club; and
- reassess the sustainability and strategic desirability of owning the 162 Goulburn premises, and sell if needed.
The aim of these recommendations is to create long-term success through clear purpose and objectives, and clearly aligned resources for both:
- a NSW state bridge body, working with and on behalf of all affiliated clubs across NSW; and
- a flourishing bridge club in the centre of Sydney.
Since the update sent in January, several changes have occurred.
The NSWBA is calling for expressions of interest from all youth players who are available to represent NSW in the Australian National Championships in Perth from 10-14 July, 2023.
Partnership applications are preferred, but those from individuals will be considered as well. Please outline your level of experience (if any) in playing duplicate bridge. Successful applicants will be provided with a grant to cover the cost of flights to Perth (and a few other perks).
If you are under 18 years of age, the application should be made by a parent or guardian.
Applications should be emailed to Mitch Dowling at youth@nswba.com.au before 6.00pm Thursday 18th May.
The selection for the Seniors team to represent NSW at the Australian National Championships in Perth in July will be played at the NSWBA on April 21-23.
All entrants must be available to represent NSW at the Perth ANC and have been born before 1st January 1961.
Details and entry are on My ABF
The ABF has set up an Online Bridge Committee to investigate all aspects of online bridge in Australia. Both in-person and online bridge will be important for the future of our game. The Committee will be putting a draft strategy to the ABF at the 2023 AGM.
We would be very grateful if all clubs would complete the online survey below which will help us gather views from as many stakeholders in our community as possible. Please complete the survey by 28th February. (Note: a separate survey is being sent directly to ABF members).
The Committee is also calling for people to join a task force to contribute to preparing the draft strategic plan to be presented to the ABF Board. This task force will help to work through all the feedback received, both via the surveys and face-to-face discussions at the Summer Festival of Bridge and the Gold Coast Congress. If you would like to help, please send an email to jtbt@optusnet.com.au.
Jenny Thompson
Chair, Online Bridge Committee
Denis William Howard, former Chairman of the NSWBA and former President of the ABF passed away on 14 January 2023 aged 90 years. An obituary written by Stephen Lester appears on the ABF website. Neville Moses a life member of the NSWBA and formerly its honorary solicitor and legal counsel of the ABF provides his personal reflections:
Appointment Viewing: Every Thursday 8pm for one hour! The Summer Season of the NSW Online Pairs League reaches the half-way point this Thursday, Feb 2nd with Match 4 in the eight-week Season. You can now watch the action in Division 1 on the RealBridge spectating server.
» Current standings in each of the three Divisions
The play starts at 7:30 and you can watch any of the eight matches on a 30-minute delay from 8pm. Each match is just 12 boards so they are usually done inside an hour! Check it out - there is nothing better on TV, and you might want to join the Autumn Season starting April 6th.
The ABF Foundation is auctioning Professionals and Leading Players to play in a Red-Point Session at 7:15 pm (AEDT) on RealBridge on Tuesday 7 March 2023 and two sessions on BBO at mutually agreed times.
The auction for the March 7 event closes Friday March 3, 2023, 8 PM.
All proceeds go towards the ABF Foundation.
Congratulations to Tony Nunn, the winner of the McCutcheon Trophy for the most masterpoints earned in 2022 with 557.04 masterpoints.
For all McCutcheon lists go to National Masterpoint Reports
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