Some scoreboards are too far gone. Such was the case at Wubin about 285km north of Perth.

Once upon a time the local footy team dominated the Dalwallinu District Football League – they won six premierships in a row from 1959 to 1964 – and the entrance to the Wubin Memorial Park suggested civic pride. These days the town is dominated by a huge “Road Train Assembly Area”.

The attendant in the cigarette smoke filled service station/cafe told me Wubin didn’t have a footy ground but, “There’s one at Dalwallinu.” I went looking anyway. The scoreboard has collapsed, some of the goal posts are standing unsteadily and the malthoid pitch looks like it might take spin.

In 1968 Wubin merged with Dalwallinu to join the Central Midlands Football League but the Wubin name has faded. In earlier times there were teams called Wubin-Buntine and Wubin-Latham.

The golf club seems to be going ok. I found three good golf balls in the sort of places I used to hit them. “Did you see where that went?”

“Nup.”

“Bugger it. I hate this bloody game.”

I put the balls on the tee-off at the hole closest to the oval. A bonus for some lucky player.