The Courage Road paddock was free draining and about the size of two croquet lawns.
Jack says because of his farming experience of developing land, coupled with the experience of being on the business end of a croquet mallet, he decided it wouldn’t be too daunting a task to turn the paddock into croquet lawns.
He rotary hoed the paddock, and rotary hoed it again, before picking up 60 bucket loads of stones, in the bucket of the little green tractor he hired from Amberley Hire to cultivate the paddock.
Jack rotary hoed the paddock six times in all before levelling it, irrigating it and marking out two croquet lawns.
He built a clubhouse with a couple of containers, with bark in between, and picked up a dozen free chairs.
Last Sunday, 15 months after Jack began his toil, Courage Croquet, Amberley, opened to fanfare.
Hurunui Mayor Marie Black cut the ribbon to declare the croquet lawns open for business, in front of a gallery of invited guests, keen players, and New Zealand and Canterbury croquet personnel — Tony O’Donnell, chairman of Croquet NZ, Vilna Gough› Jones president and treasurer of Canterbury Croquet Association (CCA), Gay Jones, referee and handicapper of the CCA, and Owen Evans ex CCA president.
Jan, who is also a very handy croquet player, says they had mallets for people to have a go at croquet, and was impressed by the style shown by Mrs Black, who played an opening strike.
‘‘She was not bad actually,’’ Jan said.
Eight people were able to play on a lawn at a time, until the hands were clapped, and mallets were handed over to the next eight players.
Jack has had six years aspresident, then secretary with the Kaiapoi Croquet Club, as well as being a CCA delegate, while Jan is the present president of Kaiapoi, and club champion, where she will remain until her term is up.
‘‘It is a great club and they are a wonderful bunch of people,’’ she said.
But there was potential to grow the game in Amberley, she said, so the Courage Croquet Club will open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 1.30pm to help get people started.
Poeple keen to play can just turn up, or they can phone Jack on 0272 219
566.
‘‘It is a very strategic game, and a lot of fun,’’ says Jan.
It also provides a great place to enjoy a sport that is not as taxing as golf or bowls on your body, and to meet new people and socialise.
Jack says although Jan was initially sceptical of his project she is now showing her usual enthusiasm.
