It all began in 1987 as a small event organised by APA Group (then The Pipeline Authority) employees from Young, who decided to take a rostered day off and play a round of golf.
This turned out to be a great day and the group decided to have another round the following year.
Before the second golf day, a tragic vehicle accident led to the passing of a colleague, Adrian Golding from Cobar.
The organisers of the golf day decided to hold the next event to commemorate Adrian’s life and to promote safe driving, a key risk faced by pipeliners who often drive long distances to work on various sections of pipelines.
In 1988 invitations to the annual Adrian Golding Memorial (AGM) were extended to Adrian’s colleagues from Canberra and Cobar.
After several years, customers and suppliers joined in to support the event.
In recent years, the event has attracted up to over 100 participants from all over the world.
On 9 May 2014 the weather co-operated and provided the participants with a wonderful backdrop to what was a great day of golf.
Teeing-off at 8:00 am right after the buffet breakfast, 85 players grouped into teams of four with at least one handicap golfer in each and played 18 holes of best ball Ambrose golf.
After a few hours on the course, teams enjoyed a wholesome lunch before the presentation ceremony.
The winning team was made up of Dave Thomas of Tutt Bryant Equipment, Mark Schulz of APA Group, Dave Scott of Gibbo’s Auto Electrics in Young and Gary Avery of Corrosion Control Engineering.
Much fun was had by all and no one left the day empty-handed thanks to the generous donations of the event supporters.
APA Group’s Geoff Walker and Peter Rushby have organised the golf day since 1988.
The AGM Golf Day has become one of the institutional social events in the NSW pipeline calendar and what may seem like just another golf event has forged a special meaning and purpose for many pipeliners.
“Although trophies are given to winners, this day isn’t just for competition. It is a time for hardworking pipeliners to have fun, build relationships, support awareness of safe driving and remember Adrian,” said Mr Rushby.
