The pool table men

The pool table men

Jim Douglas

For almost 20 years a gang of fellas aged 75-92 years have met twice a week at the Henley and Grange Community Centre to play pool, share their stories, have fun and socialise. In mid-2018, this community centre closed for three months for renovations. That meant no pool playing for a while. But the men had understood that the pool table would be returned, and the game would resume the following year. When they were told that the pool table would not be returned and that council was looking at an alternative place in which they could play pool, these men were not happy. In fact, they were quite distressed.

If you listened to their stories, their experiences referred to years of working in industry, some of the men had lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, and a few had served their country in World War II. Overcoming these events had given them the resilience to fight back. They were not to be messed with. They decided to take action. First, they managed a petition and served it to Charles Sturt Council. They called for the reinstatement of the pool table where it had been for twenty plus years, that is, in the community centre.

The men gathered friends and family to support them, and together they approached WACRA to assist them to put their case to a full council meeting. They also lobbied their Henley Ward councillors and sought their support. They reminded WACRA what their days at the community centre playing pool meant to them. A sense of ownership and wellbeing was being taken away. For them, not having been consulted was insulting.

It was a memorable council meeting in March 2019 when six of the pool table men arrived well before the start of the meeting, assisted by their walkers and helping each other through the doors of the Council Chambers to take their place around the table. They were ready to speak. The men were well prepared, and the chamber was hushed as they made their case, citing what entertainment and friendships meant to them, how they looked forward to the social interaction. They also pointed out that they helped each other, that this was a viable social group who met regularly and had their transport worked out. It was already obvious that this group was cohesive. The men explained that not being mobile and/or having failing sight was not an impediment to their social engagement. They told council how they helped each other around the table to line up the cue ball and identify the colour and number.

The pool table men were applauded for their presentation. It was obvious that the elected members and those in the gallery were quite emotional and supportive of their call. A few weeks went by in negotiations before the pool table was returned to its rightful place in the community centre. These tough older men are back playing pool, showing their great skills, poking a bit of fun at each other, and looking forward to their two sessions each week for as long as they can keep holding the cue and potting the number 8 ball.