There’s nothing better than a walk in the park on a sunny day with friends. Add a small white ball, the odd bunker and a little competition and there’s every chance that the walk will be ruined. But not on Friday 13 March this year – a lucky date for the 80 or so golfers attending the 2026 Bankstown Sports Charity Golf Day. The course was in immaculate condition, the meal provided by the team at The Italian Bistro delicious, and the post-game entertainment from Rob Shehadie, with a guest appearance by Antony Minichiello, full of laughs.
Finn Roache Lawyers was a proud hole sponsor and fielded an experienced and eager team of three. And by this, we mean one of us had played golf before and the other two were super keen to give it a go. We were joined by Steve “Smasher” Oesterreich from Bankstown Sports Club, who we now know is the most patient man on the planet. Rather surprisingly, we played some excellent golf together, all in aid of a very good cause. The best shot of the day was the tee-shot played by the pro we slipped a cash donation on about our 12th hole, closely followed by a number of up-and-down marvels by Steve around the green. Holly Brewster couldn’t hit a drive wrong, Christa “I played putt-putt once” Pericleous was a prodigy, contributing more than was natural to the points, and Anthony El-Azzi’s rescue shots saved a hole more than once. Only 5 or 6 balls were lost to the water…
More importantly, Bankstown Sports Club’s event raised an impressive $30,828 for Lifeline Macarthur and Western Sydney Crisis Support, which provides essential assistance to people experiencing emotional distress, including 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services to ensure no one faces their darkest moments alone.
Thank you to Michael Hanratty and all at Bankstown Sports Club for hosting a fantastic day and congratulations on raising so much money for this worthwhile cause. The inaugural Finn Roache Golf Team is now officially in training for the 2027 event, confident that we will bring home the trophy (or more probably, the wooden spoon) next year.
