Late last month the 41st Pasture Wonderland fours carnival was held at the Bowling Club, where the AS Nivison Memorial trophy has been played since the competition commenced in 1974.
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The late AS Nivison was pioneer of pasture improvement by aircraft in Australia at the property Mirani, here in Walcha, back in February 1950.
West Tamworth won the inaugural carnival when Aub King, Bobby Johns, Russell ‘Rusty’ Kellett and Ernie Wise claimed the main prize and then there was five year wait before Mick Hamel, Dave McGuffog, Kevin ‘Old Doey’ Partridge and Eric O’Keefe became the first Walcha team to win the event.
Only one bowler, Billy Brooker from Wauchope, has played in all 41 carnivals and he now teams up with his son Glenn who has 20 to his credit. Three other bowlers have played in 40 carnivals each, Trevor Sevil and Jim McLuand both from Quirindi along with Paul Jones from Wauchope and last year with Billy Brooker they were presented with 40 year attendance shirts.
Just one team has won back to back carnivals when Uralla quartet Chris Kliendienst, Jim Caldweel, Neville Dawson and Paul Burraston got the job done in 1981 and 1982. There have been a few sides that have won successive carnivals but with one different player from the previous year.
Ex Walcha players have bought teams back ‘home’ and met with success. Geoff Bath won with a Lake Cathie team in 1992, former Walcha Road railway station master Jack Quick played for years and won in 1994 with local Denis Makeham in the team while Gilbert Hicks won in 1984 playing for Taree Leagues.
Roy Charlesworth won with West Tamworth in 1997, ’99 and 2004 along side 37 carnivals veteran Noel Froud and Mackie Frazier who is the leading individual bowler on seven wins.
Individually, ‘Rusty’ Kellett is next best on five wins whereas team wise West Tamworth led the way on seven victories from Quirindi and Walcha, both on five.
Locals Steve Goodwin, Brian Lockyer, Ian Bird and Ken ‘Joe’ Partridge won in 1988 and 2002 before the first three players did it again in 2010 after Kyle Goodwin replaced Joe.
The only other Walcha team to win the carnival was John Andrews and the Goodwin boys Noel, Brian and Alan when they raised the trophy last year. Walcha did have three players in a composite team that won in 2008 - PT Clarke, Denis Makeham and Matt Hamel who teamed up with Jim McLuand from Quirindi. In 2005 local Gordie Bird played with a Taree side which included his brother-in-law Henry Ryan, Glenn Dawson and Peter Bird who is no relation to Gordon. This year’s winners were from Quirindi: Jason Heaver, Scott Ryman, Felix Gileppa and Nev Ryman who also won the competition in 2012.
Tournaments like this one wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful without support and organisers would like to thank all the sponsors that made it possible.