Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The electorate of Kingsford Smith is blessed with stunning natural beauty, and one of the best ways to take it in is with a game of golf. My electorate is blessed with nine magnificent golf courses, all with their own proud history. On 23 May I was fortunate to attend the Coast Golf Club in Little Bay to celebrate their history and their 50th anniversary.

While officially opened in May 1965, the Coast Golf Club had, since 1922, acted as the unofficial golf course of the former Prince Henry Hospital, which was known as the quarantine hospital or the coast hospital. During its early years the course was used by hospital staff for recreation during their periods of voluntary quarantine. Many fine golfers, inspired by an array of exotic names for its many tricky holes, such as 'The Ditch', 'The Coast', 'The Scrub', 'The Trap', 'Herdsman's Carry' and the par-5 known as 'Last Hope'. The course today features a world-class 18 holes, a beautiful clubhouse and a thriving membership. At the presentation on 23 May, 20-, 30- and 40-year memberships were presented. I would like to make special mention of Leticia Curtis, who was honoured on the occasion for 50 years of faithful membership to the club. Congratulations to Warren Hogan and all the members of the Coast Golf Club on achieving their 50 years.

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