Murray Forrest named in Australia Day Honours

Oatlands GC member and Motion Picture Benevolent Society Chair, Murray Forrest, was among 732 Australia Day honourees this year, and was made a Member of the Order (AM).

It’s the latest honour in an already decorated career for Murray, who was recognised for significant services to the film and television industry.

The former head of film processing labs Atlab and Colorfilm, Murray has chaired charitable organisation Motion Picture Benevolent Society since 1996, becoming a Life member in 2020.

His other industry roles include serving as the founding Chair of Ausfilm (1994), Director of Screen Producers Australia (1982-1996), Chair of the US Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1982-1985), President of The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers (1991), and Federation of Producers of Asia Director (1978-1984).

In 2008, the National Association of Cinema Operators established the Murray Forrest Award for Achievement in Film Craft in his honour, with previous winners including Gillian Armstrong, George Miller, and John Seale.

Murray is also the inaugural recipient of the Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers’ inaugural Humanitarian Award for his long commitment to the Motion Picture Industry Benevolent Society (MPIBS).

Speaking to IF, the industry veteran said being named a member of the order held special significance, given that he emigrated to Australia from Scotland on January 26, 61 years ago.

“For obvious reasons, 61 years ago, I didn’t set out to become a recipient of any award – far from it,” he said.

“When I arrived here, I set out to do a good job of everything that was ahead of me and started in the film industry. The AM is something I really never dreamt of but one I’m very happy, privileged, and honoured to receive.”

Congratulations Murray, we are all extremely proud of your achievements and this honour!

From the Course

Rainfall for the Week: 16.5mm,  Rainfall for 2025: 153.0mm, Dam: 100%,  Green Speed: 9.5feet

Some scaring is evident on the 3^rd, 6^th, and 10^th greens after they got hot and dry with the heat on Monday afternoon. All other greens managed to get through unscathed with only some very small spots of stress noticeable in isolated areas. The moisture levels in the affected areas have been returned to required levels by hand watering and the use of a penetrant product to ensure the water is entering the soil profile without interference from any barriers such as hydrophobic soil conditions. With the correct management techniques, these areas will recover but it will take a few weeks for this to be achieved.

Greens were dusted on Tuesday morning which will see them continue to roll very true. This light topdressing of sand settles into the turf canopy very quickly after it is mechanically broomed, and irrigation is applied. Growth on tees has really kicked in with the fertiliser and humid weather being the driver for this. As a result, they will be mown three times this week. Staff have also performed some hand weeding on certain tee pads for Crab Grass weeds, with the resulting hole after the removal of the weeds filled with green sand.

The practice green will be ready for seeding next week. This week the contractors have spread and shaped the surrounds of the green, drainage and final shaping of the bunkers has been completed. The depth of sand over the gravel layer of the putting surface has been thoroughly checked with a metal probe to ensure an even 300mm depth across all the gravel. If this depth was to be higher or lower in areas, management of moisture would become difficult as the higher areas would dry out quicker than the normal or lower depth areas.

Once the seed is applied to the sand, we will be covering it with a growth cover to protect the seed for the first week or two. A critical part of the establishment is having no one walking across the seeded area. Golf balls are going to be hit onto this area from the 13^th tee, but we are going to ask that they are left for collection by course staff, who will then return them to the proshop for collection later. Please clearly identify your golf balls so the return process is made easier. Signs will also be in place to remind members and their guests not to retrieve any balls from this area until it is suitable. 

Our volunteers had the week off due to the public holiday on Monday, but they all enjoyed their annual Ambrose Golf Day, followed by dinner together on Wednesday. The winning team on the day was Ozzie’s Ockers- Dave Osbourne, Col McRae, Rob Lynch, and the larrikin John “Draino” Mitchell. The coveted 2024 Golden Shovel was also presented on the night, with yours truly (Dom Yates) taking out this honoured prize for a 2^nd time!

Happy Golfing!

The Course Team.

Practice Fairway Green – GUR Drop Zones and Restricted Access

The upgrade works to the Practice Fairway Green have progressed to the stage of seeding the green which will occur next week. Once the seeding takes place, the green will become a restricted area as foot traffic has the potential to cause depressions in the surface which can no longer be smoothed once seed has been spread.

As such, Drop Zones will be placed in two areas adjacent to this green, one on the 13th hole side and one on the 17th hole side, as areas for GUR relief to be taken if a ball enters this area. Information on the specifics of the GUR rules in this area will be communicated via the Local Rules Board at the 1st and 12th tees, and is subject to change as the status of this area progresses. All golfers are encouraged to check the Local Rule Board prior to play, which should be standard practice for all golfers.

Unfortunately, for a period of time, golf balls will not be able to be retrieved from this area to ensure the grow in of the turf is uninterrupted.

Sam Reece – Lesson Booking Portal

Oatlands Golf Club Associate Professional, Sam Reece has just opened a bookings portal on the Club website for private golf lessons.

Sam is an aspiring Golf Professional currently undergoing training within the PGA of Australia and is now in his second year of the PGA Membership Pathway Program. Throughout his career, Sam has represented Oatlands in prestigious amateur events, including the Eric Apperly Shield and Major Pennants. In his first year of the MPP Program, he clinched two PGA Open match wins on the MPP Tour and earned starts on the Adidas PGA Pro-Am circuit. Deeply passionate about golf, Sam is excited to begin coaching, eager to share his love for the game and help others refine their skills.
 
To book a lesson with Sam, contact the Pro Shop or visit the Clinics and Lessons page of the Club website.

Quarterly Accounts to be Posted to Club Website

Commencing in 2025, the Club will meet its statutory requirement to post quarterly accounts to the membership by posting them to the Club website under Club Documents. 

These accounts have previously been posted to the noticeboard in the Clubhouse.

Accounts will be posted for the quarters ending September 30, December 31, March 31 and June 30 after they are approved by the Board of Directors at the Board Meeting following the end of each quarter. With the Club Board Meeting scheduled for the last Wednesday of the month, these quarterly accounts will be posted approximately one month after each quarter is closed. 

Website Payment Portal – Planned Outage on 8th and 9th of February

Members are advised of a planned outage to our website payment portal, due to scheduled maintenance by Ezidebit, which will affect payments attempted through the website on the following dates and times:

Date: Saturday, 8 February, 2025
Time: 12:00am – 10:00am AEST (up to 10 hours outage)

Date: Sunday, 9 February, 2025
Time: 8:00pm – 12:00am AEST (up to 30 minutes outage)

How will this impact you?
During the maintenance window, payments submitted through the website will not be processed successfully. Any payments attempted during this period will fail and will need to be resubmitted after the maintenance is complete.

We apologise for the inconvenience. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Club Reception or email accounts@oatlandsgolf.com.au.

Titleist Fitting Day – Wednesday, 19th February 2025

Oatlands will be hosting a fitting day on Wednesday 19th February with club manufacturer Titleist.

If you are thinking about upgrading some or all of your equipment, these days are essential in ensuring you get the right equipment for your game, with the respective club fitter from each manufacturer on hand to expertly guide you through the fitting process, along with our expert PGA staff, and with all the latest equipment and launch monitor technology available to help you get the best out of your new clubs.

Bookings are essential with times available from 10am – 3pm. Bookings can be made via the website or by contacting the Pro Shop.