Apartment Owners at Churchill Retirement Living’s Dutton Lodge development in Penrith have been bonding over the ancient game of ‘Carrom’, after 83-year-old Ken Deery took on the challenge of a special tournament to bring the neighbours together and learn a new skill.
Ken explains: “Over 35 years ago I spent some time working in Bombay, staying in the Taj Mahal Hotel which at the time was the best hotel in the area. One afternoon I went for a wander around the town and found some locals sitting on the floor playing the ancient game of Carrom.
“They asked me to join in and suddenly I realised they wanted to play for money! Luckily I didn’t have to part with any money and enjoyed learning the game with my new Indian friends. Every time I was in India after that I would search on the same street to meet up and play with them.”
Ken has recently rediscovered the game after Lodge Manager Adam Walton brought in his own tournament board, and they both agreed it would be fun to introduce it to the other apartment Owners at Dutton Lodge. Ken says: “Over 35 years later at 83 years old I am playing a Carrom tournament with lots of other owners as part of the Dutton Lodge Challenge. I had forgotten all the rules after such a long time but now the old skills are coming back and hopefully my team ‘The Twits’ can win the trophy and get the prize!”
Talking about the origins of this unusual game, Ken adds: “Carrom as we know it today has been played for nearly two hundred years, although games of a very similar nature have been played for thousands of years under a variety of names. Some believe it originated in India, while others link its origins to Portugal and even Burma.”
Lodge Manager Adam says: “The enthusiastic response to our Carrom tournament shows how friendly our community of Owners is here at Dutton Lodge. They’re always up for a new challenge and a bit of fun!”