CLUB NOTICES

The Willis and East Lindfield State Open Pairs Qualifiers RED POINTS | RED POINTS

No entry required, just show up to the normal sessions. But there is heaps up for grabs. Over 3 weeks you will be playing in the State Open Pairs Qualifiers earning you State Level Red Masterpoints (double the normal rate) and win your spot to the Finals.

Wills Online Lessons

Wills have been extremely successful and we are getting great attendances at his Thursday Online lessons on Zoom. You can still get a recording of the lessons if you cannot make the 9.30am Zoom lesson. Then you can work through the lesson at your leisure.

You can check out Wills lessons on upcoming events Click Here to register or email Mike Prescott

Australia's Bridge Day Out

NSBC will be running special hands in all sessions.

Players across the country will play the same set of hands on the same day, enjoying a great game in their local club while helping to fundraise for the ABF Foundation and support its 2025–2028 goal of building a scalable, enduring 'Bridge in Schools' program that connects schools and bridge clubs.

Labor Weekend Opening Hours

For Registration Click Here

East Lindfield

• 10.00am Rookie Closed - No game on this day
• 10.00am Supervised Closed - No game on this day
• 1.00pm Open - No game on this day (Greg Quittner Labor Day Matchpoint Pairs instead)
• 7.00pm Rookie Closed - No game on this day

The Willis

• Monday 1.30pm Rookie Closed - No game on this day

Real Bridge

ALL SESSIONS RUN ON REAL BRIDGE LABOUR DAY (6th October) WILL BE RED POINTS.

• 10.00am Open RED POINTS
• 1.30PM Open RED POINTS
• 2.00pm Rookie RED POINTS

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Spring is nearly upon us and it's nice to finally see that yellow thing in the sky—turns out it is the sun, not just a rumour!

I'm also constantly told how poor NSBC are at supporting outside events. So Jo, Marina, Felix and I thought we'd host a Soirée at Coffs. Shouldn't have been too hard, right? After all, "apparently" not many of our members support these things. Well, would you believe it - 95 NSBC members made the trip to Coffs, and 36 of them joined us for the Soirée. It was great fun, and definitely something we'll do again. Lesson learned: treat all information like a Trump campaign—fact check everything! Not all that is said is fact-based.

Well done to everyone who played and especially to those who did well at Coffs.

On the home front, our Sponsorship Committee, ably led by Jen Madden, is out and about looking for potential sponsors for our 2026 events. A big thank you to Stacey, Anne, Stephanie and Barbara for joining this sub-committee—your help is very much appreciated.

The merger talks with Lindfield Rollers are still ongoing. And no, I don't yet have concrete news to share with you - except to say both teams are working through the details, some hurdles have already been cleared, and there's genuine positivity in the room. We hope to be able to share more with members and staff in the next couple of months.

Finally, I'm pleased to report that the Club continues to do well. The East Lindfield clubhouse looks fantastic with the new noticeboard. A huge thank you to Allan, Mike and Josh for designing, procuring and installing it. Your effort and hard work are truly appreciated.

Shaz

OUR MEMBERS OUR CLUB

This month I had a conversation with Robyn Rogers, the ever-smiling and bubbly member of the NSBC and its committee. Robyn insisted to me that she was not extraordinary in any way but just a keen Bridge player.

Born in the 1950's, grew up in Bondi, a beach baby, always down the beach, getting sunburnt and blisters on a regular basis, Catholic school system, no real idea of what to do after school, started a course at UTS, gap year, travel, Europe and UK, Switzerland and skiing – WOW this is great, back to Australia, finish degree, begin work in HR, hiring people, married, started family moved to USA, bigger family, enjoyed motherhood – unexpectedly, marriage breakdown, financial difficulties, needed to get back into workforce, difficult to get ahead, out for too long, no computers when previously left work, now everything was computerised.

While not everybody has, exactly the same experiences in life as others, there was nothing really out of the ordinary as yet, but - life changes, and while we all face challenges some encounter larger ones than others.

About 10 years ago Robyn was diagnosed with breast cancer, had surgery and Radiology and other treatment and all appeared to be OK. Robyn then had continuous and intense back pain and various treatments achieved nothing. New diagnosis, tumours in her spine, not a metastasis of the initial cancer but well-developed tumours in her vertebrae, of her spine and tumours in her chest cavity, stomach and ribs – Robyn was diagnosed with Non – Hodgkin large B Cell Stage 4 Lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a blood cancer of the lymphatic system, where lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) grow and multiply out of control. Non-Hodgkin large B Cell Stage 4 Lymphoma is the most aggressive form of the cancer and has the lowest 5-year survival rate. It was believed the Lymphoma was the result of the radiotherapy from previous cancer treatment and she was now faced with complicated treatment for the disease, including a rebuilding of her spine.

However, fate dealt another hand of cards and while in hospital Robyn contracted a very severe infection C.diff - Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium that causes severe diarrhoea, colitis (inflammation of the colon), and potentially life-threatening complications such as toxic megacolon or sepsis. The infection often occurs after antibiotic treatment, as antibiotics can disrupt the normal gut flora, allowing C. diff to multiply and produce toxins and Robyn was faced with a long road to recovery but also faced a potential of loss of life. As she underwent a number of treatments she was lucky to be supported by her children and particularly her daughter, Jaimee, who spent many hours with her.

From March until November Robyn was continuously in hospital, far longer than normal, indicating the severity of her condition, being treated with innovative procedures to treat the infection leading to such a long recovery. On release in spite of rehabilitation she could only walk very slowly, a few steps at a time, with the support of a frame and could not lift her feet to get up steps. Her daughter found a place for her to stay, in a retirement village, Lourdes in Killara, where she could receive help if she fell, a constant concern.

Initially she struggled with worthlessness but then saw an advertisement for Bridge, at the NSBC site at the Willoughby Legion Club. On arrival Robyn discovered there were a myriad of steps, but she found a way up using an exterior ramp. From the very first lesson of starting to learn Bridge she was excited and enjoyed the sessions. She had now found a reason to no longer be down, about the impact of her illnesses.

Robyn not only completed the initial lessons but took on the broader range of lessons available through the club. Her sense of purpose prospered, and she went further, attending congresses, meeting other players and making friends across the spectrum. In Robyn's words "I LOVE Face to Face Bridge" but she also loves attending congresses and has just returned from Coffs Harbour.

Robyn strongly advocates a welcoming environment in the bridge club to retain members and is actively engaged in mentoring and supporting new players.

Bridge for Robyn has provided a strong sense of purpose and community and her life has been transformed. She particularly wants an environment where others enjoy the game and socialisation as much as she does.

Thanks for the conversation Robyn, may you have many more years of fun at NSBC

Our Club

The emergence of Intermediate competition is unique to NSBC

NSBC is the largest Bridge Club in Australia, encompassing a broad spectrum of player experience, ranging from newcomers to individuals who have represented Australia in internationally renowned competitions.

The club offers numerous sessions catering to both social and competitive play. Given the presence of many Grand Masters within our membership, it is essential to provide suitable opportunities for emerging players who aspire to achieve Grand Master status.

The Intermediate category has been established specifically for this purpose, serving as an inclusive platform for up-and-coming participants from Rookie and Restricted levels, as well as those with 300–750 masterpoints progressing towards Grand Master recognition. An additional advantage of combining Intermediate, Restricted, and Rookie categories is that the Red Points available are more closely aligned with open field tournaments.

With strong participation from Intermediate and Restricted players, the points attainable can even match those offered in the Open category, without requiring competition against Grand Masters.

Our club is uniquely positioned to provide competitive opportunities across all skill levels, and this initiative has been well received by both our members and visiting participants. NSBC not only holds the distinction of being Australia's top club but also serves as a premier institution for nurturing future Grand Masters. For those aspiring to become Grand Masters, we strongly encourage participation in our Intermediate events, which present the most effective progression route within the club.

100 Not out!

Many of us remember Joan Stobo who joined our Club in Lindfield in the mid 1970's and played regularly for so very many years. I first met her in 1979, and my first memory was of her delivering flowers, often displays of colourful hibiscus from her garden in Killara, to the Bridge club to smarten up the entry. Joan continued to bring flowers for many many years. Along with flowers, Joan produced a plate of shortbread biscuits almost every week, making tea breaks more enjoyable.

Well, on 22nd August 2025 Joan turned 100 years young. Full story and photos here.

MAJOR RESULTS

Peter Pan Plumbing Swiss Pairs

Peter Pan Plumbing Swiss Pairs were held on Sunday 31st August. It was a full house and a great day was had by all.

• Open Winners: Patrick Jiang and Wayne Zhu
• Intermediate Winners: David Boyle and Tien Chey

Full results and story here.

NSBC Pairs Championship

The NSBC Pairs Championship was recently completed. The Winners were Cevat Emul/Catherine Zhang, Second placed were Linda King/Avril Zets and t=Third place getters Andrew Peake/Giselle Mundell, have all been offered positions representing NSBC at the State Pairs Championship

The Inaugural Winters Cup

The Inaugural Winters Cup was completed in the last week of August. This was an online event for both Open and Intermediate/Restricted/Rookie players and while over a four week period and the three best scores for each pair (same partners) counted to determine the overall placegetters.

Open section winners:

• 1st: Tony Burke and Mike Prescott
• 2nd: Judy Osie and David Osie
• 3rd: Kevin Davies and Steven Bock

Intermediate section winners:

• 1st: Denzil Seldon and Tina Osie
• 2nd: Bricet Kloren and Craig Becconsall
• 3rd: Kerry Rymer and Kit Meyers

Coffs Harbour Congress Results

As Shaz noted in Presidents note, NSBC had many members attend the Coffs Harbour Congress and listed below are those that did particularly well:

UPCOMING EVENTS

Calling all bridge lovers across NSW!

North Shore Bridge Club is thrilled to be hosting not one, but two of Bridge NSW's top state championship events in 2025—and we'd love you to join us.

First up:

The State Swiss Pairs Championship kicks off on Tuesday, September 7th at 7 PM, running over three Tuesday evenings on RealBridge until September 23rd. It's a great way to test your mettle in a friendly but competitive evening format.

Then in November:

We switch to daylight mode with the Daytime Swiss Pairs Championship, held over three sessions—Friday, November 14th (AM & PM) and Friday, November 21st (AM). Same great format, just with your morning coffee/tea instead of your evening cuppa (or wine).

Across the Ditch Competition

Tasman matches between Australia and New Zealand. NZ took the first, Australia claimed the second—so now it's time for the decider!

This is more than just a game—it's a chance to connect with fellow bridge lovers across the ditch. We've always had a friendly rivalry with New Zealand, and this is a great way to keep that tradition alive in the spirit of fun and friendship.

Expect a twist in bidding styles! Most NZ players use the ACOL system, which opens with 4-card majors and has a more natural feel. It's a refreshing challenge for those used to Standard American.

Please enter as soon as you can via the MyABF website, as this is a very challenging event to organise entry wise.

Aussie Aussie Aussie—Oi Oi Oi!
Happy Bridging, Gary

LESSONS

DEAR DIRECTOR

The Directors Boards for this month show a couple of different approaches to achieve the best outcome - the importance of using different conventions can lead to a great outcome.

Board 1.

Board 2.

ASK GARY

Content for Ask Gary section would be included here if provided in the original newsletter.

BRIDGE PUZZLES

Last month's puzzle and answer