Moreton Bay residents will make up a 154-strong contingent at the GemLife Games on the Gold Coast, including Bribie Island lawn bowler Patricia Mapes and Burpengary resident Craig Hughes.
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They will be among about 800 entrants from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria competing across nine sports when the fourth annual event is held at GemLife Gold Coast on September 10 and 11.
Craig Hughes takes on a different sport
Craig Hughes will be returning to the GemLife Games in 2026, but this time he will be taking on a different sport. The 78-year-old, who lives at GemLife Moreton Bay in Burpengary, competed in pickleball last year. This time, he will compete in eight-ball pool while also helping behind the scenes as a member of the organising committee.
Hughes is one of three team captains for GemLife Moreton Bay, alongside Peter Scragg and Belinda Kerwick. This will be the first time GemLife Moreton Bay competes under its own colours. In 2025, the community joined GemLife Gold Coast to form the Queensland Spartans.
The Moreton Bay team intends to field competitors across every sport, with GemLife reporting strong interest from residents. The community also arrives with some recent success behind it, having won both the men’s and women’s pickleball competitions in 2025. Hughes has said the team is training for several sports, including tennis and lawn bowls. He has also highlighted the friendly camaraderie and broad participation at the Games.
Patricia Mapes and the Pelicans get ready
On Bribie Island, the Bribie Pelicans are preparing for another appearance at the Games. Patricia Mapes will represent GemLife Bribie Island in mixed lawn bowls, while also helping coordinate her community’s teams across the Games. It will be her third time competing at the event.
Mapes and her husband Lyle moved to GemLife Bribie Island in October 2023, where she took up lawn bowls with fellow residents Rosie Sullivan and Chris Bates. The three had never played the sport before moving into the resort. In their first GemLife Games in 2024, the trio won the women’s lawn bowls competition.
This year, Mapes is part of a mixed team with George Hardie and experienced bowler Wally Sear. Preparation has involved regular practice sessions at the Country Club greens, where Bribie Island’s men’s, women’s and mixed teams have been working on their skills and how they play together.
In lawn bowls, teams must complete five ends within 30 minutes, prompting the Bribie bowlers to focus on speed and communication during training. Bribie Island’s magenta-coloured team is known as The Pelicans.
A growing event in 2026
The GemLife Games were established in 2023 as an inter-resort sporting competition. Last year’s event at GemLife Palmwoods attracted about 700 participants, supporters and spectators from resorts across the country.
GemLife said the 2026 Games will be the biggest yet, with about 800 entrants and nine sports on the program. The sports are swimming, tennis, table tennis, pickleball, eight-ball pool, ten-pin bowling, lawn bowls, golf simulator and speed chess.
Alongside GemLife Moreton Bay competing as a standalone team, the field will include Tweed Waters, Rainbow Beach and host resort GemLife Gold Coast. Foundation teams Maroochy Quays, Pacific Paradise, Bribie Island, Palmwoods, Woodend and Highfields will also return, with Highfields teaming up with GemLife Highfields Heights. Team Maroon will round out the competition, bringing together homeowners from Elimbah, On Dean, Lighthouse Bay and Kilcoy Greens.
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With the September 10 start date approaching, competitors from across Moreton Bay are continuing their preparations. For competitors such as Mapes and Hughes, the September Games will bring another opportunity to compete, try new sports and connect with residents from other GemLife communities.
Published 2-September-2026
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