Great Boules Of Fire

Naazim gets the boules rolling… SUN23MAR25

t didn’t take long this afternoon before trying out the new boules court in Burnaby Park attracted a few curious passers-by.

And it didn’t take long for GG and court instigator Naazim to reckon that we were being hustled.

It may be hard to believe that Anne will be hitting 89 this year and hubby John 91, but it would be even harder to believe that the Redmonds haven’t been playing boules all their lives.

They whipped our asses.

“Actually, we do play quite a bit of indoor boules,” confesses Anne. “So, this is very natural to us…”

“It’s also very, very wonderful that we now have this amazing outdoor boules court in Burnaby Park,” adds John. “It’s just a perfect game for a sunny day…”

Even on a chilly and overcast day like today, it’s pretty darn good too.

It was the bould Naazim who posted on Facebook back on May 21st, 2023, asking if there was any interest in bringing French boules to the town. There had been noises made in 2012, but nothing came of it. This time out, with a little help from Cllr Lourda Scott and town engineer Ruairi O’Hanlon, it actually happened.

“I’m still slightly in shock,” smiles Naazim. “And I can’t thank Ruairi and Lourda enough, along with everyone else who helped make this a reality.”

By this point, Sorcha has joined in the game too, currently making the move from Cork to be closer to her daughter and her new baby, and still exploring the town. Finally, we can play two against two.

“It’s still early days,” continues Naazim. “We have to figure out where to store the boules purchased for people to use – possibly the library, possibly Vick’s, or we may get a storage box in the park – but, as with the chess tables, the court is now ready for anyone with their own boules to come and play for free…”

Sweet. You can find out just how to play right about here, and you can get in touch with Naazim to find out more about the Burnaby boules court on email here.