The Portarlington Golf Club has given away or helped raise more than $200,000 in the financial year just finished.

The club directly donated $98,092 to members, charities, sporting clubs and community organisations on the North Bellarine.

It also helped similar groups raise - or save – a total of $105,367 by providing facilities, waiving fees or providing the tools and audiences to bring their own charitable initiatives to life.

“For example, many know of the popularity of our member draws and spinning wheel giveaways on Friday nights,” chief executive Michael Phillips said.

“But on that same night each week, we’ve managed to help our Community Raffle partners raise what we think is an extraordinary $34,995 with the help of our friends at Panorama.

“It’s groups like the CFA, SES, Food Assist 3223 and so many more that the club - along with the generosity of our members and guests - has really been able to provide for that we hadn’t previously been able to.”

“We’ve done little things like donate the use and staffing of our buses to the Port Primary School, right up to the big things like being the key backer of the Portarlington Mussel Festival that brings thousands of visitors to town each January.”

The club has been the backbone of many large-scale charity golf days, most notably the E.J. Whitten Foundation, Feed Me Bellarine and the Longest Day in Golf, which alone raised a spectacular $15,000 for the Cancer Council.

And the club has just finalised this year’s Community Contribution Fund grants that will total more than $14,000 to assist various community projects, including backing the fledgling Portarlington women’s football teams.

“We’re rapt to be heavily involved with some of these bigger projects, but we’re equally happy to contribute to a whole series of other clubs and events, such as the Celtic Festival, the North Bellarine Film Festival and the Bellarine Agricultural Show,” Phillips said.

“And we’re delighted, with the support of Stockdale & Leggo, to be a key player in the only catwalk fashion show in Portarlington that not only highlights our local fashion houses, but has been a valuable contributor towards its goal of fighting the scourge of domestic violence against women.

“We like to feel we’re engaged with our community and I hope that comes across, not only in these finances, but in terms of our approachability as a supporter or host of so many events.”

The women of the Portarlington Golf Club – and their visitors – have given enormous support in more ways than one to the Breast Cancer Trials.

Sporting genuinely spectacular bespoke and bejazzled bras – on players, buggies and even carts - the 76 golfers raised an extraordinary $1745 for the cause.

“We’re super proud to do that, especially in a genuinely fun atmosphere to help such an important cause,” club spokeswoman Angela Royal said.
“The bras were absolutely amazing and to have everyone in the spirit, it was just brilliant.”
Many among the field donated money to buy bras that were meticulously prepared by Fiona Newman and Sue Holland, with the help of Deb Batten and Sue O’Connor.
And clad in the day’s pink and with many in their fancy under-turned-overgarments, there was a break in the post-round revelry for a group picture.
“You can see in Kaelyn’s photo just how much everyone got into the day,” said Angela, decked out in her deluxe “Steele Sidebottom” brassiere.

“Julie Walker helped a lot, Angela Foott was amazing as always and the thing about it was, as a guest day, we even had visitors pitching in to help and almost all of them commented about the atmosphere of the event.”

The Breast Cancer Trials is a group of world-leading breast cancer doctors and researchers in Australia and New Zealand who have committed to finding better treatments and prevention for people affected by breast cancer through clinical trials research.

“It’s obviously a cause that impacts a lot of people – we had several people share their stories – so we’re very glad to be able to help Breast Cancer Trials in our own small way," Royal said.

It’s not often that speeches move those at tournament golf days.

But such was the love in the View Room on Friday that the June Gillivour Salver and the inaugural Mary Menzel Open will be fondly remembered by all in attendance.

Club captain Jenny Edmanson gave the background of the two late Portarlington players for whom the events were named, leaving no one in the room in any doubt as to the importance of their respective contributions.

But in successive acceptance speeches, it was clear that the mood was of distinct reverence as glowing and articulate words bound the audience that had gathered from around the SWGA region.

And as it turned out, it was a day on which the local women stood tallest.

Meg Pratt confessed she thought the Gillivour team selectors were trying to reach her partner Michelle when they made contact via email about representing Port.

And even when she came in with her gross score of 86, Meg didn’t factor herself into the speeches, particularly given the course’s spectacular condition and benign weather.

But “lo and behold, here I am”, Meg joked after getting her hands on not only the Mary Menzel Open trophy, but playing the lead role in Port’s Gillivour Salver triumph.

Meg was actually 10 over par for her first nine, having begun on the 10^th tee.

“There were probably four holes where I lipped out on the back nine and you sort of look at it and you think, `It's not my day’,” she said.

“I somehow started to play all right on the front nine and was really enjoying my round talking with Ange (Foott), Lyn (Moore of Torquay) and Fiona (Rogers of Clifton Springs) and relaxed a bit and really just pulled it out of my bottom,” Meg joked.

“I made lots of steady pars … but had no idea that it would win the day. Like absolutely no idea at all.”

And that was evidenced when Meg told her Gillivour teammates Kristine Geary and Judy Webber that she hadn’t done enough to help them over the line.

“We sort of compared notes after the round and none of us were too confident, didn’t really give ourselves any hope … in the perfect conditions.

“But Kris just came up and she said, "Don't you ever tell me that you didn't play well again!’ and it was so funny.

“Yeah, we were all shocked and very excited. They are both delighted as well, which is great.”

Meg reiterated the importance of the trophies on to which her name will now be etched, particularly playing for the Mary Menzel silverware for the first time after her husband, Dieter, generously sponsored the day.

“It's an honour. It really is. I didn't know Mary, but Lou (Blomley) speaks so highly of her,” Meg said of Mary, who passed away in 2022.

“Everybody that you talk to tells you how wonderful a lady she was, not only personally, but also for the club and how much she did for the club.

“And unfortunately she was sick when we first joined, so we didn't get to get to meet her and I'm really sad about that.

“But having a trophy named after her, just perpetuates her memory and things like that, which is just lovely. And I really am delighted to have won it.”

Meg’s 35 stableford points combined with Judy’s 30 and Kris’s 29 gave Portarlington a total of 94, two clear of the Sands’ team of Donna Reilly, Di Seehusen and Lisa Reade, with East Geelong third on 91 courtesy of Sue Pearce, Jen Toner and Leanne McIntyre.

In the other individual events, Portarlington’s Lynne Kirby won the A Grade nett event on 75, her clubmate Donna Utt won B Grade on 39 stableford points and Seehusen won C Grade on 34 points.

• June Gillivour Silver Salver Results
• Mary Menzel Womens Open Results

Two Medway girls lit up Portarlington Golf Club today as some of the best talent in Australia converged for the club’s annual Junior Open.

Georgia Schwartz (+2) carded a spectacular round of one-under 73 to win the gross prize, while clubmate Amelia Wearne (3) fired a one-over 75 to win the nett prize with 72.

And then no fewer than six boys shot rounds of 76, leaving an array of countbacks to determine graded prize winners.

Eventually, East Geelong’s Abel Foley was declared the A grade gross winner from his brother, Ned.

Event spokeswoman Angela Foott said the talent on display in the 56-strong field was exceptional.

“You can see by just those scores what amazing depth and talent we have, so to have them all here was a real boon for the club,” Foott said.

“We had representatives from 26 clubs including players from South Australia, Queensland and all around Victoria and they all said how well the course was prepared and how well it suited junior tournaments.

“We’re really excited that the tournament has become so widely popular since it was reinstated on our calendar only recently – it’s a good sign for junior golf in our area.”

Click Here for the Full Results