Playing board games at an elite level for Madeleine West

I OFTEN have spoken of my longing to turn the clock back to simpler times.

Say when my girls were younger. When they went to bed before me. When choosing a movie to watch together was easy (hello Disney and High School Musical). When they didn’t have a better social life than me. And definitely when they didn’t drive.

Sometimes I’m even nostalgic for those days before the internet and mobiles, when you couldn’t be contacted all the time.

Well, I was transported back, way, way back last weekend ... and it was a shock.

Heading due north for a set visit for Fallout, a new ABC drama to air next year, I was totally prepared for no Vodafone reception once we meandered through picturesque Quorn.

I even sent a message warning my beloveds that radio silence was imminent. One messaged back: “Love you. Stay safe”. The other, Miss I-am-16-going on-17 said “Do we have any ribbon?”. (Hmm perhaps that’s why I long to be uncontactable.)

We were way north, but it felt like the wild, wild west. Nothing but Parachilna’s iconic Prairie Hotel, saltbush and red dirt as far as the eye could see. And they embrace the isolation, and encourage guests too as well, including no TVs in the rooms. WHAT? NO TV – my heart raced, my head reeled. How was I to cope with being entirely cut off from the real world?

Turns out that playing games with the cast and crew is the way to do it. (Intimidating as it is taking on a bunch of talented actors, screenwriters and one director. Fortunately it wasn’t charades.)

Another woman who’s loving board games is Madeleine West’s Playing For Keeps character Kath Rickards. The former coach’s wife is running for the board and has her eyes set on leading it.

“Kath is a wonderful reflection of a modern woman in that she is powerful and unapologetic in her sexuality,” she told me .”She’s a woman who has lived and she brings all of that fire and fury and vulnerability to the office of president.

“She intrinsically understands and cares more about the culture of the club. It’s not about the notoriety, not about how many goals are scored. Kath understands the players and their mindsets. She understands all of those elements and, to my mind, is really qualified to be president, above and beyond her gender. The fact that she’s a woman just makes it even more exciting.”

Maybe not as exciting as almost running out of petrol in the Outback. But that’s a story for another time.