As we fast approach our twentieth year of the Mongrel Masters I felt it worth taking a moment to reflect on the direction this great event is taking. This evaluation revealed alarmingly what I had  suspected, that the tournament was in decline. We have lost our vision and estranged the core qualities and values of the Mongrel Masters. It is no longer the same event and it has not been an evolutionary change for the better..

I am becoming increasingly concerned that the uniqueness of the Mongrel Masters and therefore the identity of the event is being distorted. It is essential that these unique qualities of the tournament are restored and/or enhanced.

• Players gathering for a drink the night before the event 

• Fancy dress 

• Early morning tee off times

• Warm beer consumed during the round

• Sledging and relaxation of etiquette 

If the uniqueness and identity of the Mongrel Masters is not preserved then it will become irrelevant and in time the event will cease to exist.

This revelation that the Mongrel Masters was fast becoming irrelevant  hit me  when I was having dinner with Cambo Campbell and discussing his availability for Mongrel Masters XVIIII. When I told him we were no longer teeing off at 5am in the morning, he caustically told me that it's not the same tournament and if he was to play it was back to the early start. It was then apparent to me that the Mongrel Masters had lost its identity and we needed to immediately restore the events unique qualities. Hence the reason why we have reverted back to the 5am Tee time start.

Cambo had identified to me that the tournament was in trouble. It was the uniqueness of the Mongrel Masters that attracted him and it was also what attracted a feature piece on national television more than 14 years ago.  It is also those 5 unique qualities that has inspired the ranks of playing membership to swell to 60 by 2006 after the humble beginnings in 1990 with a mere 5 Foundation playing members. Having said that, the numbers of those active playing members has diminished considerably to an average of 14 between 2003- 2006. Whereas in the period 1999- 2002 the average number of active  playing members was 20. This represents a 30% decline!

Unfortunately with the distortion of the identity of the tournament, the core values of the Mongrel Masters have also eroded.

You may be asking yourself what has core values got to do with a golf tournament? Well I think we all recognise that the Mongrel Masters is more than just a golf tournament. The specialness or underlying thread that, in addition to the unique qualities of the tournament, makes the players want to be there at the Mongrel Masters are the core values. These core values are intrinsic to the success and future of the Mongrel Masters and I think collectively can be called Mongrelism;

• Mateship

• Larrikinism

• Sportsmanship

Many of you were probably unaware of these core values. It is critical that  you recognise their importance to the tournament. You must take the responsibility to ensure that you display these values, or Mongrelism when you are playing in the tournament. Without values the Mongrel Masters will wither away.

Therefore I think it is essential that I define each value of Mongrelism in detail and illustrate how they can be displayed in the context of the Mongrel Masters.

Mateship 

To an aussie male a 'mate' is more than just a friend. Implicitly there is a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional support. Whilst 'Mateship' illustrates the special bond between mates especially  during times of challenge. It is where mates will stand by one another through thick and thin; and there is a belief that a bloke ought to be able to trust his own mate in anything.

Although having origins back to Australia's mid 18th century experiences of pastoralism, the goldfields, bushranging, shearing and droving, the notion of Mateship came to the fore on the  battlefields of the First World War. There 'mateship was a particular Australian virtue, a creed, almost a religion'.

So Mateship could be seen as uniquely Australian but to me it is a universal value and core to the Mongrel Masters and Mongrelism.

It is essential that all members when playing in the Mongrel Masters feel that they are part of an inclusive, welcoming environment where they have a sense of belonging. Importantly they must be able to trust all members. There should be no need to question a ruling or the recording of a score on a particular hole. At the end of the tournament the champion should not be under any cloud of suspicion nor should he be sullied or slurred by his fellow members.

For this to happen all members must look at their motives for playing in the Mongrel Masters. Winning cannot be the only motivator of entry. The notion of winning at all costs has been at the enormous expense of the credibility and integrity of the Mongrel Masters.  The other motivator for playing in the Mongrel Masters must be to maximise the limited opportunity we have to participate and experience a unique event with our mates.

Therefore I implore all members to embrace the core value of Mateship. The integrity and longevity of the Mongrel Masters is dependent upon it.

 Larrikinism

 Australians inherently have a 'larrikin' spirit. They are seen as resilient people who laugh in the face of adversity, face up to great difficulties and deliberately go against authority and the establishment. Larrikinism, as a value for the Mongrel Masters can be described as humorous irreverence and disregard of the rigidity of golf etiquette.

Larrikinism at the Mongrel Masters is expressed through the consumption of warm beers on the course and a player's creative and colourful golfing attire. But the most important demonstration of this value is through various forms of sledging, by-play, or acts that will test the mental resolve of a fellow competitor during a tournament.  Sledging is core to the uniqueness and relevance of the Mongrel Masters. It challenges the mental strength and character of the player and is evolutionary in its outcome. If properly and consistently implemented throughout the tournament, the winner is ultimately not the best golfer but the person with the strongest resolve.

It saddens me to say that I believe that the Mongrel Masters is now almost devoid of Larrikinism.

This can be supported by the lack of participation in one of the simplest unique elements of the Mongrel Masters, Fancy Dress. This was once one of the most keenly contested elements of the Mongrel Masters. All players were original, creative and colourful in their attire and the choices for the Board to select the winner were many and difficult at times to determine. Gone now is the originality and creativeness of the dress. In fact some members have worn the same clothing for the past ten years and I am not even sure that they have even bothered to wash them from one year to the next! I suggest you have a look at the photo gallery  of the past Mongrel Masters to identify who they are.

Of gravest concern to me is the lack of sledging that is being carried out on the course. It has become so quiet and cordial out on the course these days you would be excused for thinking that we were participating in a chess tournament and not the Mongrel Masters. It is now time for every member to take full responsibility and to be actively participating in sledging. I am fully aware of the sweetheart deals that have been made amongst players in a group where they agree not to sledge the other. We must weed this out. Every player must participate and play within the spirit of the Mongrel Masters and that means sledging!

One other key element of uniqueness that has vanished is the  gathering  of the players for a drink the night before the event. It was previously implemented in various forms; formally through the Sledge Ball; or informally by gathering at a members place for beer and pizza. This was a wonderful opportunity for the players to engage in pretournament banter  and where the core value of larrikinism was also exhibited. This forum needs to be reinitiated and that must happen on the eve of Mongrel Masters XVIII. There will be an invitation sent to all members to attend this and I implore you to be there.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is one core value of the Mongrel Masters that should not require defining or explanation, however, these days most people would find it difficult to give a clear definition of the term. Given some recent sour experiences in the Tournament where this value has been lacking I think it is worth emphasizing it's importance to the integrity of the event.

'Sportsmanship' can be defined as the core value where the playing members behaviors at the Mongrel Masters encompass respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility.

The Mongrel Masters must be inextricably linked to sportsmanship. Hence why it is a core value of mongrelism.  As I have mentioned previously we do not want members where winning the Mongrel Masters is achieved by all means and at all costs, and that could mean cheating their opponents. We cannot allow sportsmanship to take a back seat at the Mongrel Masters.

So in conclusion I call on all Mongrel Masters members to re-embrace the unique qualities of the tournament and to make a concerted effort to exhibit the three core values; Mateship; Larrikinism and Sportsmanship;

I am saddened to say that our great championship is in decline and is in danger of becoming irrelevant. A change in the attitudes of all members needs to start now. Otherwise our desire for the Mongrel Masters to be a legacy for our sons to enjoy for many years to come will not become a reality.

Cordially 

Noni Scanlon

Chairman