The Mosman Park Golf Club was first established as Chidley Point Golf Course. More recently known as the Mosman Park Golf club it still proudly bears the historical emblem of the ‘Fleur de Lis’. The emblem has an association with the founding of Western Australia.
Ladies Day in the 60’s
Captain Chidley Irwin arrived in the Swan River Colony with the first Governor, Captain James Stirling. Irwin was commander of the Sixty Third Regiment - later absorbed by the Manchester Regiment which bore the ‘Fleur de Lis’ as its emblem.Captain Chidley Irwin was the first to set foot on the point which now bears his name. During the absence of Stirling in England, Captain Irwin became Lieutenant Governor.
Norman Von Nida demonstration at Mosman Park
Firstly, Tommy Howard, the golf professional from Fremantle was invited to look the land over and assess it. He assured them that it would make a very good nine-hole course. Next, to find out if the people who lived nearby would want the reserve developed into a golf course, houses overlooking the reserve and in adjacent streets were visited and anyone interested was asked to attend a meeting at 2 Caporn Street. Over fifty enthusiastic people turned up and a foundation committee for the establishment of the “Mosman Park Golf Club” was formed of Peter Grigg, Don Grigg and Jack Adams with the power to co-opt others to this committee as needed.In April 1957 a request for the reserves A1665 and A1632 to be leased for a golf course was submitted to the Mosman Park Road Board (these reserves today have been amalgamated into A25466 - lot 589). The board who were favourable to the idea, did not have the power to lease either of these reserves for the purpose of a golf course and they approached the Hon. Minister for Lands requesting an amendment to the vesting order. Harold Nash, who was chairman of the Road Board, was co-opted on to the foundation committee. The MLA for the area at the time was Ross Hutchison and he became an enthusiastic supporter of the idea. Despite power in high places it took almost three years of negotiations before the land was leased to the club.
Sections of Bateman, Beagle, Bird and Hagan Streets were closed and The Education Department had to agree on an alternative school site. In August 1959 the reserve was vested in the Mosman Park Road Board for use as a golf course.
During the three frustrating years of negotiations, the committee, confident that the land would eventually be available, began planning and building the course. In addition to Harold Nash, Keith Edwards, Keith Barker, Ted Cocks and Reg Bishop were co-opted to the committee. Tommy Howard had left the State and Keith Barker brought in Neville Johnson who agreed to become the honorary course designer.
After many hours of discussion and many meetings the committee approved a plan. The big decision - to play into the sun or up the hills. The committee were all young men at the time and opted for the hills. With the help of the committee, Neville pegged out the course.
In August 1959 the Mosman Park Road Board granted the foundation committee 50 pounds and approval to clear a 10 foot wide swathe along the centre of each fairway. The local children were rounded up to form a line from peg to peg and this centre line was marked out with bamboos cut from the beach at the bottom of Caporn Street. A front-end loader with the driver was borrowed from the Road Board and the trees along the centre line of the fairways were knocked down. The support of Road Board and Government assured, all of the committee put in money and hired a big Drott dozer/loader from Houlahans and all the trees on the fairways were knocked down.
Local wood dealers wanted the club to pay them for the removal and storage of the green wood, so The Daily News was approached and agreed to run a story, complete with an aerial photo about free firewood available in Mosman Park. They came with chain saws, handsaws and axes, in cars, trucks, with trailers, wheelbarrows and prams. In one weekend all the wood had gone at no cost to the committee.
Then work really began. Hector Leonard loaned the committee a tractor, and a six-foot steel blade pulled by this one lung tractor was used for clearing and grading the fairways. Local men provided the labour. These early voluntary workers included all committee members plus locals: Jabe Dodd, John Bahen, Geof Jones, Don Scott, Ray Simper, Ernie Smith and Reg Molt. Wells were dug, one near the entrance to the golf course and one near No.6 tee, by professional well diggers. Other golf clubs were consulted about types of grasses to plant and eventually fairways were seeded with couch and the greens were formed and seeded with bent and watered from these two wells.
The Mosman Park Road Board and the secretary Jack Smallman were very supportive during these early years. As well as labouring on the course the committee met regularly. At the instigation of the historian of the committee, Keith Barker, they changed the name from Mosman Park Golf Club to Chidley Point Golf Club with the Fleur de Lis, the Chidley family crest, as its emblem. They decided what fees to charge, arranged insurance policies and drew up a constitution. They borrowed 1,000 pounds from the Road Board and built a machinery shed serving also as a temporary golf club house. Don Grigg became the hard working honorary treasurer with Judy Barton the leader of the associates. Membership filled quickly and so the team of workers grew and money became available for developing the course.
The foundation members were wonderful in their generosity. The shed was equipped and furnished, a hand plough from Reg Moir, bench grinder from Don Grigg, kegs of beer from John Bahen, chairs and a table from Jack Adams, a red cross box from Alex Tregonning, a new tractor bought through Ossy Cranston at a very good price, Dr Gill built a wooden ladder at top of no.8, Dick Marum built seats for each tee . . . .
Many current members and associates will still remember when a day at golf meant a day as a member of a busy bee. Each member and associate was asked to donate and plant an olive tree, a legacy enjoyed by members for many years, thanks to the pickling prowess of Keith Barker and Reg Bishop.
Under the leadership of Judy Barton a chain gang of ladies walked the fairways on a Tuesday picking up sticks and stones. They also planted trees and levelled and seeded the ladies tees. Neville Johnson organised very popular golf clinics to keep members aware that they belonged to a golf club and as grass grew, friendly games were organised although played with some difficulty.
At this time the golfing news and the social news in the Sunday Times had a very strong Chidley bias. The journalists, Neville Johnson and Judy Barton didn’t spend much time away from Chidley. Many will remember the familiar cry “Does anyone know anyone who has been anywhere or done anything this week?”
The first Annual General Meeting of the Chidley Point Golf Club was called at Peter Grigg’s home in Bateman Street in December 1959. There were 200 members and 200 associates and a course levelled, seeded and growing.
Three of the fairways were playable with difficulty. The first official committee consisted of Harold Nash President, Jack Adams Captain, Peter Grigg secretary, Don Grigg treasurer, Keith Edwards, Keith Barker, Ted Cocks and Reg Bishop committee members. During the year of this committee golf matches were organised and by June were being played on all 9 holes.