John Rahilly: Blessed with a natural swing

There were 150 golfers from all over Australia who took part in the event.

Golfers had to have a three handicap or better to take part in the championships.

My handicap was one. I played off a single figure handicap for 47 years.

Over the years, many of the golfers that won the championship went on to play on the professional circuit.

My partner and I ended up losing the championship by one shot.

It was disappointing that we got beat.

But on the other hand, it was a wonderful experience to play golf at that level.

John, I take it to have a single-figure golf handicap for 47 years you must have practiced a lot?

That’s the funny thing. I never practiced a lot.

I’m one of those fortunate golfers who has a built-in swing.

It’s been explained to me that I’ve just got a natural swing and that is a key component of golf is your swing.

I couldn’t practice much as we had four young children and I was a full-time pharmacist.

During your golfing career, have you had many holes-in-one?

I’ve had three hole-in-ones. The first was in the amateur championship back at Commonwealth in 1983.

It was on the 15th hole and I used a six iron.

I had another at a golf course called Danang in Vietnam in February 2017.

A group of eight of my  mates made the trip over to Vietnam to play golf for a few days.

It’s a beautiful course which was designed by Greg Norman.

And the other one was at Port Fairy.

John, over the years you would have played a lot of golf at Port Fairy. In your opinion, what’s the toughest hole at the Port Fairy course?

I would have to say that the 14th hole is the toughest one.

It’s a great par four, but a lot of golfers struggle at that hole. It’s just a tricky hole.

There are some magnificent views from various holes looking out over the ocean.

I joined the Port Fairy golf club as a member in the late 1990s.

We (my family) had been coming down here for years starting back in the late 1970s for holidays.

I’ll never forget we were interested in buying a house on the east beach back in 1986.

We were all geared up to buy the property before the auction.

We set a limit of $70,000 and were amazed to see the house sold for $100,000.

It was the first house that had sold on the east beach for $100,000. We walked away very disappointed that we had missed the property.

But a few weeks later, we got a call to say a block of land was for sale on the east beach.

We ended up paying $45,000 for the block and built a house on the property.

Have you filled any administration positions at the Port Fairy Golf Club over the years?

I was the club president for two years and then the captain for another two years.

And I was on the committee for many years.

It’s a world-renowned golf course but sadly some locals don’t understand what the benefits are at having such a wonderful facility at our front door.

The course generates big dollars to the local community through tourists playing golf and then spending money in town.

I would say over the last seven years the club is really starting to live up to its potential.

We’ve got Troy Richardson there as the head greenkeeper.

He understands golf as he’s an excellent golfer.

And I think that has been a big bonus for the Port Fairy club.

Golfers from various parts of Australia and overseas visitors often come to play golf at Port Fairy.

The Port Fairy course is ranked in the top 20 in Australia which is a remarkable feat in itself for a club that is run on a very tight budget.

John, you mentioned that you were a pharmacist. How many years did you do that for a job?

It was a long time. I worked in the pharmacy at Greensborough for 20 years and then we had one in Glen Waverley for 10 years.

There were very demanding times owning and running pharmacies.

We ended up selling out the businesses in 2001 and made the permanent sea change to Port Fairy in 2002.

I’ve got no regrets with the move.

You’ve been heavily involved with the Port Fairy and District Community Bank since it’s inception. Are you still involved in any capacity?

I’m the chairman of the occupational health & safety committee.

The bank is a big winner for the town.

It’s just gone from strength to strength.

I would say it’s beyond mine and other people’s dreams how successful the bank has been in Port Fairy and district.

We believe the right structure is in place for the bank to continue to thrive in the future.

The bigger banks are cutting back their services to their clients.

Meanwhile, we are offering more to not only our clients but also the wider community.

We’ve got a hard-working committee who are very focused on seeing Port Fairy and the district go from strength to strength.  

What are your memories of your school days?

It was pretty good. I can still remember I went to boarding school when I was 11 years old.

My dad Thomas was a solicitor in Wonthaggi.

He went to law school with Robert Menzies before he became the Prime Minister of Australia.