Story by Linda Barwick (BBO: sook54)

I remember being taught to play bridge as a young Australian child by my grandmother, Marjorie Barwick (née Millard, 1907–1987). The daughter of an American immigrant, Mama (as we called her) was a glamorous and accomplished woman, interested in the latest trends in fashion, cookery, and interior decoration. Perhaps it was her American heritage, as well as her lively mind, that led her to join the New South Wales Bridge Club in Sydney in the late 1930s. I believe this was just a few years after the club was founded. It wasn’t long before my grandfather, a teacher, was posted away from Sydney, and throughout her life Mama continued to play bridge in the many different country towns where his teaching career took them. I remember her studying hands with her partner and bringing home many trophies.

One of her many bridge-related sayings was, "You’d be shot for that in the NSW Bridge Club!" She would say this whenever anyone made a social faux pas. This referred to a probably apocryphal story about someone having been shot at the bridge table for making a bad bid.

Other bridge sayings she taught my siblings and me as we were learning, which I remember and repeat to this day when the occasion warrants, included the classics: "You have to lose tricks to win them," "Eight ever, nine never," and "When in doubt, lead trumps." Her personal favorite was, "One down is good bridge."

I inherited many bridge books from her, including Contract Bridge by Ely Culbertson (1948 edition), Defensive Bridge Play by Eddie Kantar, and How to Win at Duplicate Bridge by Marshall Miles.

My own bridge career, like my grandmother’s, was interrupted by a busy work and family life. But when I retired in 2020, I was delighted to join the South Australian Bridge Club in Adelaide, where I now live. Like my grandmother, I have made many good friends through bridge, though I doubt I will ever earn as many masterpoints!