Alastair Tulloch
Retired urologist Alastair Tulloch first played bridge whilst studying medicine at Edinburgh University but had not found time to play in later years.
Whilst considering his planned retirement from a demanding profession Alastair suggested to his wife, Margie that they both take lessons and join a bridge club. Margie Tulloch, interested in preserving a happy marriage, decided this was not a good idea but she in turn proposed that she would find her husband an alternative bridge player. Margie’s friend, Kate Keating, was a willing participant in this arrangement, as she was keen to play again, having previously had lessons with Nigel Rosendorf. Alastair had also been one of Kate’s lecturers when she studied medicine at UWA. So, after attending a few courses together with Peter Smith, a happy and competitive partnership was formed, both very eager to progress further with their game. Kate works as a GP at two busy clinics, and hates cooking, so an extra enticement for her to join in this arrangement was Margie’s offer to cook Kate a meal once a week, as a reward for keeping Alastair happy. Now that is a unique arrangement!
Alastair was soon keen to join in more bridge sessions and one Monday afternoon was paired with Laurie Labross and the two men soon discovered they were at a similar stage in their game and both very focused on improvement. So, another successful partnership was born.
Laurie and Alastair now play regularly, conducting “post mortems” over a glass of wine after play. They have adopted a tactic of seeking advice from more experienced opponents after each round if time permits. Most members are always happy to give some free advice! Laurie who has been playing for a couple of years since retiring from a management position is so passionate about bridge, he is giving up his golf membership to concentrate on his new interest. Now that’s dedication!
The two friends recently walked an 80 kilometre stretch of the Bibbulmun Track from Mandalay Bay to Walpole and no prize for guessing what occupied their discussions on their 4 day trek!
Published in September 2010 Edition of Trumps Plus
