Home Hill Golf Club’s Early Origin

In about May 1932, Home Hill decided that they wanted a Golf Club instead of visiting the Ayr Golf Club. In September 22 1932, a public meeting was convened in the Central Theatre (8th Avenue where Tudge Haller once had a material and clothing store) in conjunction to forming a Golf Club. Messrs. F Murphy was patron, T A Villiers was President, Vice Presidents were E Peapell and G F Jones, L Lister was Secretary, W F Franberg was Treasurer, and Mr. Rowe was Auditor. A committee was formed with the officers, including 6 other members, Messrs. C Beames, G Chappell, C Gander, J Fielding, C Bapty, and B McPherson.  Mr. C Beames appointed captain of the Club. Messrs.  G F Jones, E Peapell, and C Beams as Handicappers. Mr. S McConnel was appointed honorary Solicitor. The subscriptions were set for associates to be one guinea (£1.1 shilling) and members at £2 guineas. A letter was read where George Mills of Townsville, offering to lay out the course for £5 and return fare to Townsville. Mr. Henry Swanborough had made available a piece of land for £20 and the committee was to consider a lease (more about this later HHO 22/9/1932).
Come June 1933 and the Home Hill Golf Club held a Jazz night at Watsons Theatre with Frank Leach’s Orchestra, bridge and jig-saw competitions to raise finance for the Club. The Home Hill Golf Links were officially opened Sunday 2 July, by Chairman of Ayr Shire Mr. Fred J Woods. There was a fair proportion of ladies present when President Mr. T A Villiers welcomed all visitors. In his opening speech, Mr. F J Woods believed it to be a game in which the golfers walked all day and talked all night. Mr. Villiers expressed the club’s appreciation to Messrs. M. Cannavan, J Hurney, F Evans, J Ferguson, H V Hanson and F J Woods for providing implements to put the ground in order. Without their assistance the club would have found it extremely difficult to carry out the work. Throughout the rest of 1930s, members came and went and there were the stalwarts who remained. The committee alternated their positions. In 1935, a Caretaker had been appointed and T A Villier was elected as a life member of the club for his hard work in getting the Home Hill Golf Club established (TB Friday 8 March 1935p 3)
In 1938, W Heydon was re-elected as president, R O’Kane was secretary, Treasure was G F Jones, and John Ferguson became Patron. The Golf Links were like a huge park playground, once Swanborough’s Cow paddock.  All this had been achieved by grubbing and mowing the nine fairways in two days.  The Club had recently bought a tractor and 3 gang mowers to reduce labour. Couch grass was taking place of the rougher grasses on the fairways. In 1941 the Golf Club elected President G Tomlins, Secretary T Austin, D Watt, and A S Dunn, and treasurer W H Graham, and Captain N S Schurbert. War was now on and the Club was virtually in recess.
In February 1946, there was a meeting held at Malpass Hotel to reform the Home Hill Golf Club. By 1947 the Golf Club officially re-opened after the war recess. Mr. T A Villiers was President once again. In 1948 T A Villiers during his report stated that the membership comprised of 33 members and 21 associates. Early in 1948, the opportunity arose for the club to purchase the property on which the Golf Links was situated. The property comprised 160 acres of freehold and 10 acres of leasehold land and it is the committee’s intention to subdivide the property to retain approximately 100 acres of freehold land and sell the remainder on which a wooden dwelling and outbuildings are erected. Mr. Villier was re-elected has President, Patron D Watt, Secretary L J Thomas, Treasurer J O O’Brian, Captain T C Austin, Vice-Captain C J Deller and auditor Mr. W J Blackburn. The Associates-Captain Mrs. D Watt, Vice-Captain Mrs. W Whittaker, secretary- Mrs. L L Lee, and committee Mesdames L Bell, W Klaka, T L Walton, A S Dunn and F Ferguson.
In October 1950 Mr. T A Villiers was farewelled as he was leaving the district. He was a foundation member when the Golf Club first opened in 1932. Opportunity was also taken to say farewell to Mrs. Whittaker, the Associate Captain.
In 1965, Home Hill Golf Club opened a new Club House 63 feet wide by 40 feet deep, mainly of concrete brick, sealed with asbestolux, section of parquetry floor 20 feet square. The builder was Alan Harris, and Vince Sorbello was the President (HHO 14/5/1965). By 1971 after a barren stretch for over 40 years was transformed by recent installation of modern watering system which would automatically water the fairways. It was installed by Southern Cross Machinery of Townsville for $9,000. This area in the 1920 was Swanborough’s Cow Paddock (HHO 16/7/1971).
In 1972, Home Hill Golf Club conferred Life Membership to President Jack Trace, Bill Malpass and Bill Cannavan. It was Bill Cannavan’s horse and mower used to mow the course. He was also Patron.
I have deliberately left out many names for the list is too long to print and also many names would most probably be left out.
Now about the land that became the Golf Links. Mr. Henry Herbert Swanborough came to live in Brandon in 1901. His trade was a butcher working for A A Paine who had butcher shops in Ayr and Brandon. In 1914 H H Swanborough acquired land in Parish of Inkerman County Salisbury Lots 199 consisting of 160 acres and Lot 203 consisting of 185 Acres.  This land was not suitable for farming sugar cane and H H Swanborough took up his old trade of Butchering for John Ferguson who arrived in Home Hill in the early 1920’s. Lot 199 was Swanborough’s Cow Paddock and the Slaughter yards were Lot 203. He worked for John Ferguson for 40 years, and I suspect he was the slaughterman for John. Ferguson and Son had the butcher shop on the Corner of 9th Avenue and 10th Street Home Hill. This butcher shop was eventually owned by S W Gibson. Somewhere along the way Swanborough’s Cow Paddock became S W Gibson’s Paddock. There was Cattle Dip on the land. Anyone with cattle also used the dip. Swanborough’s left the district and retired to Aitkenvale Townsville where he died in October 1951. He and his wife had four daughters – Ada, Bertha, Doris and Ethel and One son Victor who predeceased him.
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Contributed by Glenis Cislowski

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Home Hill Golf Club

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