Time For Supa Golf, UGG Boots Preacher

Kitted out for our afternoon of Supa Golf!

Australia as a whole lends itself to a very outdoors lifestyle. With the amount of space and the great weather (especially in Perth where it’s pretty much consistent all year around) you are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities.

That afternoon it was all about Supa Golf. It’s a variation on the real game. Bigger club heads, bigger balls and putting holes that are twice the original size means that virtually anyone can play it. And that suited first timers Lezil and I. A well-priced $12.50 each got us kitted out with our own set of clubs, tees and balls.

The other thing about Supa Golf is the actual golf course itself which is only nine holes and the longest driving distance is just over 100 metres.

Lezil’s parents and brother were regular golf players, so already we were at a disadvantage. Nonetheless they were happy enough to share some of their insider tips to ensure that when we teed off, our ball wouldn’t go wildly off course. There was a strong crosswind that we had to contend with too. Most of the holes were either 3 par or 4 par and the first couple of holes proved difficult getting the ball in on par.

Once you got the feel of swinging the club and the flight of the ball, we all started to get into our stride. Melville Golf Centre, where we were playing, was well maintained with a simple club house overlooking the greens, a driving range and a practising putting green.

Lezil getting some tips from her bro Jesse.

In the middle of our game, Lezil with her mom.

There were a number of people out playing that day and I was a bit worried that our slowish pace was holding up some of the groups behind us. But I was told that golfing etiquette was to wait.

Nearing  the end, the eighth and ninth holes were tightly contested as some of us hit or sweet spots and others lost concentration giving way to unnecessary errors. All our balls were scattered around the putting green on the last hole when Lezil’s brother Jesse received a phone call from a long-time family friend back in Cape Town. His name was Carlo who I had met back in 2010 – the year I proposed to Lezil. I remember him pulling me aside and giving me the whole “if you mess with Lezil, you mess with me speech…” (in a nice way though!). So I was delighted to report back to him that our marriage thus far was going swimmingly well!

Jesse’s mobile was handed from person to person as we all had our few minutes with Carlo. This, according to Dad Hendricks, was what made his own downfall getting 3 over on the last hole. With the entire course completed, we camped to one side as Dad H counted up the final scores. In reverse order: Lezil 15 over, me 9 over, Dad H 7 over, Mom H 5 over and the winner…Jesse with just 3 over. I presented my brother-in-law with his commemorative tee trophy. A game well played.

And the winner is....

The following morning and we went down to the weekly Sunday Community Market which happens at Market City – a purposed built zone in south Perth for market sellers. It started back in 1990 and today it’s Perth’s largest attracting over 5,000 people each week. The stalls were housed in a huge hanger-type covering with open sides. You pay a $1 admission fee and then have free reign to hunt down that bargain. Originally more of a fruit and veg place, nowadays you can pick up anything from vintage wear and frozen meat to crystals and tents.

They had a great plants and flowers section, in particular selling a selection of herbs for your garden. I was also surprised to see the amount of chilli plants being sold considering the amount of Australians that I have come across who dislike spicy food. There were a number of second hand book sellers and as it’s difficult to get a good selection of foreign books in Shanghai, I set out to find me some good reads. I found one for a dollar which was, ironically, about China called ‘Socialism is Great!’ by Lijia Zhang. Lezil managed to pick up an excellent reference book to help her with her reflexology studies.

Chilli plants on special at the market.

South Africans Sammy and Kay with their excellent Indian-influenced sauces.

Midway through our wanderings we walked up to a table which was doused in South African flags. Run by a couple originally from Pietermartizburg (not far from Durban) they moved to Perth three years ago after a six year stint in New Zealand and now run their South African sauce business from home. The range was branded as ‘Aunt Kay’s’ (after its inventor) where they had small wooden sticks which you could use to dip into different sauces for sampling. Lots of fire and lots of flavour – a great combination of that South African Indian heritage to be found in cooking from KwaZulu-Natal.

I instantly fell for their Garlic Chilli Sauce which packed a mean punch – perfect as a marinade and for simply dipping your nacho chips into. Or, as was the case, the right accompaniment to my Mexican taco meal I was to cook for the family later that evening. 

Towards the end of our market meander we came to a seller who had Australia’s famed UGG Boots proudly on display. These were the real deal priced anywhere from $100 over. The man responsible was busy in conversation with, what I thought was a customer, but as we drifted past where they were standing I caught some of their conversation which was a deep theological discussion. Interesting.

At the end of one of his tables, he had written a cardboard sign saying “Free Please Take”. If it’s free, I’ll take a look! I knelt down to the low table soon realising that the coverless DVDs all had a running theme – Christianity. Titles like “Friend of God”, “The Godhead and the Holy Spirit” and “The Final Events” all teased my curiosity. Wanting to be polite, I walked back over to the stall holder to ask him if it was fine that we took a couple of his DVDs. This was the catalyst to instigate a conversation.

His first question was “Are you Christians?” Yes. “Great!” he said.

A varied selection of Christian-themed DVDs.

With Peter, the 'UGG Boots Preacher'!

The journalist in me absolutely thrives on knowing a person’s back story and in the few seconds of hearing him speak, I was eager to know his nationality. His vowels sounded Australian but some of his consonants had a foreign-tinged accent to them. “I am from the former Yugoslavia,” he said satisfying my urge to know. He introduced himself as Peter and informed us that he moved over to Australia at young age where he has lived ever since.

Having been in various states, he now resides in Western Australia with his UGG Boots business but it was clear his passion for God was his true calling. The ten minutes or so we spent chatting with him was inspiring as his infectious upbeat view of life was unstoppable. A straight forward talking guy with a no nonsense attitude concerning his beliefs, to me, he instantly became the ‘UGG Boots Preacher’.

(I’m sure he must be the only one out there!) It was the most unlikely place to have come across a God experience that day and just as well as we didn’t go to Church that Sunday morning!

The oversized balls for Supa Golf.

Choosing the right club for my next shot!

Lezil takes a swing but doesn't quite make contact with the ball!!

But then she comes up better on the putting green as Mom H cheers her on!

I manage to get a couple of good holes in too.

Dad H shows his skills on a long shot here.

With the game finished, the scores are tallied up.

The bargain hunters are out in force at the Sunday Community Market, south Perth.

All sorts off second hand goods are sold from a back of a car.

Lezil at the pets section.

Unsurprisingly, a large bulk of goods has the infamous 'Made in China' tag on them.

Wallets from China with a considerable mark up in Australian dollars. These go for about $5 in any market in Shanghai. In Perth, some were at $20 and above!