BIRDIE OF ANOTHER KIND ON GREG NORMAN'S GOLFCOURSE



On a cold and blustery day , a Blue-winged Kookaburra  surveys the closed  golfcourse  on Magnetic Island  where it is said  Greg Norman belted balls  about when he was  a  boy. A framed   newspaper  cutting in the clubhouse  contains details  of  his   golfing link with the island .  Unfortunately, much of the  gushing  reports  about  his  time on  the  island  lacks  great detail .

 He had  moved from the mining town of Mount Isa  to  Townsville  with his family   when   he  was very young .  His father, an electrical engineer, bought a holiday shack on  the island , Greg snorkelling and  fishing during time on the island .  His mother  played  more  golf  than  his  father and  much , much  later on , in  Brisbane  ,  Greg  caddied  for  her .

Apart from  there  being lost  golfballs  out  there in the rough, there is an  old goldmine  nearby .There  is also a degree of  difficulty , the Shark  rated the  fifth hole  in  his  list  of  top 10 most  difficult in  Queensland . We visited the  clubhouse  to  celebrate  our  daughter, Sara's , birthday. Later in the day, our  bedraggled Curlew family came inside and sang happy birthday to her , much to  her  surprise (we  have  a  photo  to prove  this  unusual event ) .