Curator's Choice

The W. L. "Birdie" Heron Trophies

New Britain is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, and part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is situated 88 kilometres east of the Huon Peninsula of eastern mainland New Guinea, and the main towns of New Britain are Rabaul/Kokopo in the East New Britain province, and Kimbe in West New Britain. The island is roughly the size of Taiwan.

New Britain has - since 1951 - played host to the eponymous New Britain Open Championship. As at 2018, and it's 66th edition, it was the oldest running sports event in Papua New Guinea. Each year, competitors vie for the W. L. ("Birdie") Heron Trophy, and the Museum is lucky enough to have three in its collection, all courtesy of ex-professional - and good friend of the Society - Edgar Oakman. Edgar won the event in four consecutive years, and it is the 1960 version that is featured here.

But who was W. L. ("Birdie") Heron?

Wilfrid Ledlie Heron was born in Melbourne on 20^th July 1894. He attended Melbourne Grammar School playing cricket and Australian football, and serving in the cadets, before commencing employment with the pastoral company Dalgety & Co. in 1913. While working for Dalgety's he played Australian Rules football for University and after a goalless first season in 1913, scored five goals during the 1914 VFL season.

He enlisted in the A.I.F. in August 1914, having already spent several years serving in the Army Reserve. At 20 years of age, six foot four inches (193 cm) tall and tipping the scales at 200 lbs (91 kgs), he certainly would have stood out in a crowd. Serving in the 7th Battalion, he was part of the landing on the morning of 25^th April 1915, coming ashore as part of the second wave.

He was Mentioned in Despatches for “various acts of conspicuous gallantry during May and June 1915 at Gallipoli“ before he fell victim to a gunshot wound to the head, and lost his right eye. He was invalided home as a Lieutenant, and after serving time as an administrative officer at Puckapunyal, returned to serve in France where he was again injured. He was repatriated to England where he served as the Adjutant at a Training Unit for the rest of the war. He returned to Australia in 1919 as a Captain.

After the war he became a coconut plantation owner in Papua New Guinea on an estate expropriated from the previous German owner. He married Madge Laurence Clapin in June 1929 but she died in January 1933, shortly after giving birth to their only child, a daughter. In November the following year, he married Audrey May Clapperton. He continued to manage the Tovakundum Estate plantation, 15 miles from Rabaul, making frequent
trips back to Melbourne.

Following the outbeak of war in the Pacific, most civilian men were forced to stay in Rabaul. On 23^rd January 1942, a Japanese force of around 5,000 troops landed on New Britain. Outnumbered and outclassed, Australian resistance lasted until early February, when over 1,000 military personnel and civilians were taken prisoner.

Of the prisoners, at least 800 soldiers and 200 civilians - "Birdie" Heron amongst them - were loaded onto the ship Montevideo Maru for transport to Japan. The Montevideo Maru - which wasn't marked as a prisoner-of-war ship - was sunk off the north coast of Luzon by the U.S. submarine USS Sturgeon on 1^st July 1942. There were no survivors from the contingent of prisoners, and the sinking is considered the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history.

What remains a mystery is why W. L. "Birdie" Heron's name is associated with a golf trophy at all, never mind a trophy for an event that has been running for nearly 70 years. We can find no record of him playing golf, and the same can be said for any explanation for the naming of the trophy.

Object Name: W. L. ("Birdie") Heron Trophy - 1960                                                              Accession Number: 2010/61

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The Lawson Putter

The Museum follows a well-established procedure for processing donations. Artefacts are offered for potential addition to the collection, ownership is established, the necessary forms are completed, provenance is documented, the object is assessed, and a decision is made as to whether it will be accessioned into the collection. Every now and then, we discover a real gem.

Recently, a Society member was approached by a fellow-member at his home club along the following lines: “At home I’ve got an old putter that my neighbour gave me. It’s got a bit of a bend in the shaft, but I was wondering if you might want it for the Museum?”

Knowing that acceptance of a donation doesn’t necessarily mean accession into the collection, the answer was in the affirmative.

When the club was delivered, we found we had taken possession of a late 1940s Slazengers putter with a coated steel shaft and a leather wrap grip, and with 'The Lawson Putter' stamped on the head. 

Overall, the club was in excellent condition, but it was obvious that the earlier description of ‘a bit of a bend in the shaft’ wasn’t strictly accurate.

There were actually two bends in the shaft – one 35 cm (13¾ in) from the top of the grip, and the other 3 cm (1¼ in) from the top of the hosel. The bends in the shaft did not appear to be the result of an accident, or anger-assisted player modification. Both bends are on exactly the same plane parallel to the face of the club, there’s a complete absence of damage to the shaft coating, and – when being used as intended – the head sat flat on the ground at address.

As is often the case when researching objects, we made use of the National Library of Australia’s Trove archive. The initial search using the joint criteria of ‘Slazengers’ and ‘Lawson’ delivered no results, so knowing that Alf Lawson was the pro at Oatlands from 1934 to 1965, we used ‘Lawson’, ‘Oatlands’ and ‘putter’ as our search terms. This returned an immediate result.

According to a short paragraph in a 1949 ‘Down The Fairways’ article by Prosper Ellis (reproduced below), the putter was developed by Alf Lawson and Oatlands member Dr Noel Charlton.

Dr Noel Charlton served on the Oatlands’ committee for many years. He was President from 1954 to 1956 and the Patron of the Club in the 1960s. Dr Charlton was also a golfer of renown, holding the Club Championship from 1939 to 1942. He was made a Life Member in 1951. Members at Oatlands still play in the annual N. B. Charlton 4 Ball Knockout for a trophy that Dr Charlton donated. (Oatlands Golf Club website)

No explanation is given regarding the intricacies of the design, but - in practice - it does get the elbows close to the body while keeping the player’s head over the ball – not unlike the St Andrews bend that was often found in hickory shafted putters, or the kink found close to the head of most modern putters.

Object Name: Slazengers 'The Lawson' Putter                                                              Accession Number: 2020/3

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NSW PGA Assistant Professional Championship Cup

The movement of the collection from Granville to Strathfield resulted in some of the real gems of the collection seeing the light of day. One of those gems was the N.S.W. P.G.A. Assistant Professional Championship Cup, originally presented for annual competition by the magazine "Golf in Australia".

In the Museum catalogue, it is described as: "Metal cup-style trophy with two large side handles mounted on a round wooden base. Awarded for the NSW Professional Golfers Association Annual Assistant Professionals Championship (re-titled Junior Championship in 1961)."

What makes it a stand-out piece is that it is inscribed with the names of the winners, in turn:

1931-Lou Kelly - Australian Open winner 1933,
1932-Jim Petterson - long time professional at Royal Canberra Golf Club,
1933-Keith Clark - son of Carnegie, pro at Goulburn, Avondale, Ballarat & Hartley's Sports Store,
1934-Jim Campbell - son of Charlie Campbell, pro at NSW Golf Club,
1935-Bill Holder - long-time professional at The Lakes, won the Australian PGA Championship in 1952,
1936-Les Chaplin - long time pro at Avondale,
1937-Bruce Jackson - assistant pro to Bill Bolger at Mick Simmons, pro at Moss Vale, long-time pro at Concord,
1938-Ossie Pickworth - four time Australian Open winner, three time Australian PGA Champion, Victorian PGA Champion (4 times), winner of Ampol Tournament (6), winner of Dunlop Cup (5), winner of Irish Open, Queensland Open (2), Lakes Open, Western Australian Open, Victorian Open and many other events, represented Australia in the Canada Cup and Lakes International Cup,
1947-Kel Nagle - 'The Pymble Crusher', best known for his victory in the 1960 Centenary Open, he also managed six top ten Open finishes, lost in a playoff for the 1965 U.S. Open, won the 1959 Australian Open, two Canada Cups, a Canadian Open, a Hong Kong Open, 21 State and National PGA Championships, and was most deservedly inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007,
1948-Tom Gorman - appointed pro at Cronulla the same year,
1949-Hal Mullard - long-time pro at Bankstown,
1950-Alan Myers - assistant pro to Lou Kelly at Bexley, first pro at Hurstville Golf Course,
1951-John Collins - assistant to Bill McKenzie at The Australian, won Yeerongpilly Cup in 1952, won Queensland PGA Championship in 1964 
1952-John Collins - assistant to Bill McKenzie at The Australian, won Yeerongpilly Cup in 1952, won Queensland PGA Championship in 1964 
1953-Alan Myers - assistant pro to Lou Kelly at Bexley, first pro at Hurstville Golf Course,
1954-Alan Myers - assistant pro to Lou Kelly at Bexley, first pro at Hurstville Golf Course,
1955-John Collins  - assistant to Bill McKenzie at The Australian, won Yeerongpilly Cup in 1952, won Queensland PGA Championship in 1964 
1956-Ian Alexander - winner of NSW PGA Foursomes Championship 1960, winner of NSW PGA Senior Foursomes Championship 2015 (with Peter Fowler, his long-time protege)
1957-Barry Deitz,
1958-Alan Murray - winner of the 1962 French Open, the 1961 Australian PGA Championship, the 1967 Australian Wills Masters, and 73 other tournaments worldwide,
1959-C. Barnes,
1960-V. Richardson,
1961-B. W. Eves,
1962-Graeme Abbott - first professional at Penrith Golf Club, still holds course record of 63,
1963-Neville Bell - first professional at Charlestown Golf Club, winner 2019 NDGA Masters,
1964-David Fearns - long-time pro at Cabramatta,
1965-Bob Stanton - as a 20-year-old, beat Arnold Palmer in a sudden-death playoff for the Dunlop International at the Australian Golf Club, runner-up in the 1984 Australian Open to Tom Watson, won the German Open.
1966-Tim Woolbank - won New Zealand Wills Masters the same year, 1969 Queensland Open, now a well-known course designer,
1967-Brian Moran - runner-up in 1975 Australian PGA Championship,
1968-D. Clark (N.Z.),
1969-Michael Moulds - pro at Windsor Country Golf Club for 30 years.
1970-Jack Newton Jnr. - won the 1979 Australian Open, lost in a playoff for the 1975 Open Championship, runner-up in the 1980 Masters.

Winners 1930 - 1960 (Click for larger image)	Winners 1961 - 1970 (Click for larger image)

This trophy currently forms part of our P.G.A. display which will soon be on display . . . although we are willing to let anyone have a sneak preview on Thursdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

^{(Missing biographical data will be updated as time and resources allow).}

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Queen Sirikit Cup Teams Event Plate

The history of the Queen Sirikit Cup is very much a part of the history of the Thailand Ladies Golf Association. One of the Association’s founders, Rae-Vadee T. Suwan, came up with the idea to launch a national team championship in view of the fact that no international ladies’ event existed in the region at that time. She felt that lady golfers with great potential but insufficient financial resources could not go very far in their game. It was timely for them to be given a chance to play at a higher level and accomplish more for themselves and their countries. Through the championship, a higher standard of the game could be raised and more friendships could be formed.

The inaugural Queen Sirikit Cup was hosted by Thailand at Navatanee Golf Course during February 15-17, 1979. Teams represented were Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Japan won the first championship with Thailand as runner-up.

At the first Team Captains’ meeting, it was agreed that future hostings of the championship would be on a rotation basis among the member countries. Indonesia came forward to host the second event that welcomed in two more countries, Australia and Philippines, to make up 11 teams. Japan successfully defended her title for the second year and became the host for the 3rd championship, where Australia captured the Cup for the first time. (from the official Queen Sirikit Cup website).

In 1993 the event was held at the Vines   Resort in Perth, and Australia's team was Joanne Mills, Ericka Jayatilaka and a young up and comer by the name of Karrie Webb. Although they didn't win, Joanne Mills was runner-up in the individual event, one shot behind New Zealand's  Lynette Brooky. The team were good enough for third place, five shots behind winners Japan. The Museum has recently secured a plate presented for that team's event third place.

Plate Detail (Click for larger image)

	The hand crafted plate was produced and signed by renowned Australian silversmith Don Sheil. This example features a Flowering Gum pattern deeply etched into the top surface of the aluminium alloy dish. The drooping gum leaves fill the circular dish, with a display of flowering gumnuts balancing the design. Sheil's trademark blackening to the crevices  defines the design.
Plate Detail (Click for larger image)

The plate is currently on display as part of the 'Our Open' display, featuring objects related to the Australian Open.

Object Name: Queen Sirikit Cup Teams Event Plate                                                              Accession Number: 2019/16

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Hunter's Hill Golf Club Record Book

The Hunter's Hill Golf Club Record Book is of historical significance and provides insights into the sporting and social history of the Hunter's Hill area in the early twentieth century. This book is the only known surviving record of the club.

The book records the earliest results of the club and interclub matches up until 1907, and relevant newspaper clippings add further information. Adding to the historical significance of the book is the inclusion within it of associated ephemera such as the Rules of the Hunter's Hill Golf Club - 1903, season fixture books for 1901, 1902, 1910 and 1911 (including events and committee members). Membership of the club was limited to residents of Hunter's Hill, Woolwich and Gladesville and listed within the records are prominent members of Sydney society, most notably William Archibald Windeyer, solicitor and community stalwart. The Hunter's Hill Golf Club was formed in 1900 and was located within the grounds of the Gladesville Hospital overlooking the Parramatta River.

The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser of 16th March 1901 provides us with a glimpse of the course and its players: 'Hunter's Hill G.C. has scored a second win over the Lindfield men.The Hunter's Hill men are enthusiasts, and have done a deal of play this summer. The drawback of their course is that it is very stony, and I heard them irreverently described the other day as 'The Rock's Push' in consequence, though except for the rocks on the course nothing could be less descriptive of a particularly happy, sportsmanlike, and hospitable set of golfing aspirants. The club was only formed last year, but the members have never stopped playing since its formation.'

It was one of the original members of the Suburban and Country Golf Association (which evolved into Golf NSW). The club's demise demonstrates how urban expansion changed the landscape of Sydney. The club was compelled to amalgamate with Pymble Golf Club in October 1932, following the resumption of the course for expansion of the hospital.

Read/download pages 1 - 20 from here (2.75 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 21 - 40 from here (4.30 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 41 - 60 from here (5.50 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 61 - 80 from here (6.17 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 81 - 100 from here (4.60 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 101 - 120 from here (2.55 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 121 - 140 from here (1.10 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 141 - 160 from here (5.30 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 161 - 180 from here (4.44 mb in .pdf format) Read/download pages 181 - 200 from here (6.67 mb in .pdf format)

               

Object Name: Hunter's Hill Golf Club Record Book 1900-1920

Accession Number: 2004/268 Significance Criteria: Historic, social
Comparative Criteria: Provenance, rarity, completeness or intactness

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'Gassiat' Style Putter

The original wooden-headed putters in this     style were known as "Chantilly" putters for the home town of their inventor, the Marquis de Chasseloup-Loubat. They were - according to later reports - first used in 1911, but came into prominence after being used by Jean Gassiat to win the 1911 French Open.

They were - thereafter - universally known as "Gassiat" putters.

The Museum's example has the name "R. J. Gibson" stamped above the sight line. R. J. Gibson was the son of club manufacturer Charles Gibson of Royal North Devon Golf Club (Westward Ho!), and served as the pro at Royal Calcutta for many years. There were several other Gibson sons who served as professionals around the empire, and - according to the ‘Compendium of British Club Makers’ (Peter Georgiady, Airlie Hall Press, 2004) - the clubs they sold were all manufactured by their father’s shop.

Another of Georgiady’s volumes – ‘Wood Shafted Golf Club Value Guide’ (Airlie Hall Press, 2009) – supports the notion that this may be a club of Gibson Senior's manufacture by listing an entry under Charles Gibson for “Putter – Gassiat-type – large wood head”.

The club at the Museum appears to have been re-shafted at some during its life. We have been unable to locate any other record of a steel-shafted R. J. Gibson ‘Gassiat’ style putter, and there is evidence underneath the hosel whipping of odd – but very neat – sawed wood joints and subsequent finishing. We were tempted to remove the sole plate in search of evidence of the earlier fitting of a bore through shaft, but we were not confident that the patient would survive such radical surgery.

Object Name: 'Gassiat' Style Putter

Accession Number: 2016/089 Significance Criteria: Historic
Comparative Criteria: Rarity/Representativeness

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George G. Bussey & Co. Club Carrier

In the early days of golf, caddies hired by   players were responsible for carrying a golfer's clubs, for teeing up their balls, locating 'lost' balls, and numerous other menial tasks that might detract from the players enjoyment of their game. His salary was basic and his equipment non-existent - he was expected to carry his master's golfing implements under his arm. On this basis, the satisfactory performance of his many duties must have been quite an exercise in dexterity. The caddie's lot changed considerably with the introduction of specially designed club carriers, and the Australian Golf Heritage Society Museum holds a very handsome example of an early 'club carrier' in its collection.

Late 18th century golfer & caddy - artist unknown

The George G. Bussey & Co. club carrier was manufactured around the end of the nineteenth century to carry between six and eight clubs - the standard complement of the day. It consists of a stained board with a truncated oval canvas 'bag', a smaller canvas pouch, a carrying handle and retractable wooden legs.

  

It is interesting that this club carrier is called  the 'Empire Patent Caddie'. This suggests that it was thought that this style of equipment would replace the need for a human caddie, and enable golfers to carry their own clubs over the golf course.This particular example was found hidden in the rear of the clubhouse at Northbridge Golf Club in the late 1990s, and had been there for many years. No further history relating to this object is known.

Object Name: Club Carrier
Accession Number: 2000/095 Significance Criteria: Historic, social
Comparative Criteria: Provenance, rarity, completeness or intactness

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1959 NSW Vardon Trophy

According to the current rules, the 'Vardon Trophy is open to male amateur golfers who hold a current Australian or overseas equivalent handicap, and who have a handicap of 4 and under. The Vardon Trophy runs for 12-months, throughout the calendar year.

The winner of the Vardon Trophy is the player who has the lowest scoring average for the 12 months and has played a minimum of 25 rounds. The players worst round is dropped after 25 rounds and another of their worst rounds are dropped with each subsequent five rounds played'.¹

in 1988, the rules were a little different: 'The Vardon Trophy competition is open to all golfers with an AGU handicap of seven or less (10 or less for juniors).

Scores recorded will be adjusted to par 70 and a player will be credited with 86 if he enters an event and fails to appear, does not return a card or is disqualified. After 15 rounds the worst score can be discarded, after 17 rounds the next-worst score and from then on round for round'.²

The rules that applied in 1959 - the first year it was held in NSW - are lost to time, but what is not lost is the trophy awarded at the conclusion of the competition.

1959 NSW Vardon Trophy (click to enlarge)

The inaugural NSW Vardon Trophy for the  leading male amateur golfer was awarded to Vic  Bulgin with an average over 35 rounds of 74.7.  A talented all-round sportsman,Victor John  Bulgin (1927-2006) represented Australia in golf  and NSW in rugby league, and was also selected  for the 1948-49 Kangaroos.  Bulgin also served in the New South Wales Police  Force and in 2008, rugby league's centennial  year in Australia, he was named at fullback in a  NSW Police team of the century.  He was runner-up to Kel Nagle in the 1959  Australian Open. In 1966, he was runner-up to Bill  Britten in  the Australian Amateur Championship  (matchplay), but claimed the Australian Medal as  the winner of the stroke play stage of the  championship.

This trophy is currently viewable in the Museum as part of our 'Amateur Golf Trophies' display.

The full list of the winners of the NSW Vardon Trophy to date is:

Year	Winner
1959	Vic Bulgin
1960	Bruce Devlin
1961	Phil Billings & Tom Crow
1962	Kevin Hartley
1963	Kevin Donohoe
1964	Phil Billings
1965	Bruce Nairn
1966	Phil Billings
1967	Harry Berwick
1968	Tony Gresham
1969	Tony Gresham
1970	Tony Gresham
1971	Noel Ratcliffe
1972	Tony Gresham
1973	Tony Gresham
1974	Tony Gresham
1975	Tony Gresham
1976	Tony Gresham
1977	Tony Gresham
1978	Tony Gresham
1979	Tony Gresham
1980	Colin Kaye
1981	Tony Gresham
1982	Tony Gresham
1983	Jeff Wagner
1984	Gerard Power
1985	Brett Ogle
1986	Ray Picker
1987	Chris Longley
1988	Lester Peterson
1989	Lucas Parsons
1990	Lucas Parsons
1991	Lucas Parsons
1992	Matthew Ecob & M. Holland
1993	Paul Gow
1994	Bryce MacDonald
1995	P. Sheehan
1996	Brendan Jones
1997	Brendan Jones
1998	P. Sheehan
1999	M. Smith
2000	S. Gardiner
2001	C. Campbell
2002	A. Groom
2003	James Nitties
2004	A. McKenzie
2005	Won Joon Lee
2006	Won Joon Lee
2007	Rohan Blizard
2008	B. Smith
2009	B. Smith
2010	Matt Stieger
2011	Brett Drewitt
2012	Brett Drewitt
2013	Jordan Zunic
2014	Cameron Davis
2015	Austin Bautista

Object Name: Vardon Trophy
Accession Number: 2011/9 Significance Criteria: Historic, social
Comparative Criteria: Provenance, rarity, completeness or intactness

¹ http://www.golfnsw.org/vardon-landing
² The Canberra Times, 11 February 1988

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Orizaba Power-Pod Driver

The Australian Golf Heritage Society regularly sets up displays at golf events - the Australian Open, the NSW Open, the Ladies NSW Open, and so on. At each of these events, objects from the Museum are rotated through the displays so that visitors can see quality artefacts from the rich history of golf.

Regardless of the rarity, value, collectibility or provenance of clubs that are put on public view, one that always grabs the attention of visitors is the Orizaba Power Pod driver.

As recorded on www.golfwrx.com "It was the ultimate anti-slice club at a time in the mid-1980s when adjustable drivers and movable head-weights were only a dream. No adjustment necessary with this club: It was designed for golfers determined to turn their bananas into a “power fade,” no matter how ugly the process became. And the PowerPod, even to those who swore by it, was pretty ugly. It was a purple, polyurethane, plumbing-like fixture aligned on the shaft so that it pointed toward the golfer to such an extent that a normal swing would deliver the ball off a right-hander’s left shin. But thanks to slicers everywhere, more than a million were sold. Unfortunately, according to designer Jim Flood, "About a third came back broken"."

Ross Baker - adding value to an AGHS Facebook page post last year - added "The head of the Power Pod was made out of ground glass and epoxy, and was virtually indestructible. It was because of the durability of the resin head that Jim Flood - the owner of Orizaba - backed every club with a lifetime guarantee. And that was why his company went broke. Where they failed was the stainless ring around the head, which attached the head to the neck. The ring would crack, especially when many shots were hit off the toe - ironical as they were targeted at the slicer - as they were touted to virtually eliminate a slice! (Which they didn't)."

"Unbelievably, it doesn't matter where I do a display or what I have in the display, the one club everyone comments on is the Power Pod, they'll walk straight past a Tom Morris "Scare Neck" putter to get a closer look at a Power Pod. Did you know there were fairway woods (Maxi Buster and Mini Buster) and irons as well?"

Want to debate the finer points of the Orizaba Power Pod - try the AGHS Forum.

Object Name: Orizaba Power-Pod Driver
Accession Number: 2013/011 Significance Criteria: Scientific, research or technical
Comparative Criteria: Condition, completeness or intactness

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