Ray Dahlberg, 65, is another of the regulars who makes the trek to Wanganui every two years to compete in pool and snooker.
He takes part in the 60-69 age group in the singles and doubles in snooker.
"I'm playing with Spike Duxfield in the doubles and was teamed with him after
I wrote to the organisers and said I needed a partner," he said.
"I came here in 2005 with an ex-Wanganui guy Matt Tamihana who was living in Masterton. Unfortunately, six months after those games Matt died.
"Yesterday, I paid a visit to his grave up the Waitotara Valley to pay my respects. I'd also brought over some flowers that his widow asked me to put on his grave."
Ray has been on an invalid's benefit for the past five years due to emphysema but that doesn't stop him from enjoying his chosen sport.
"I spend an average of three or four hours a day on oxygen but I've got a portable regulator I keep in my car.
"That's the answer for me."
He won his first game in the singles at St Johns Club yesterday but said it was a close thing.
"I won by three points but was only in front once. I potted the brown, blue and pink in one break and we had two shots each at the black to get a three-point win."
Ray has been playing snooker since he was a teenager growing up in Masterton. In those days, the law stated people had to be 18 years or older to go into a snooker parlour.
"We'd sneak into the snooker rooms in those days. The owner had a mirror at the top of the stairs so he could see if the police were making a visit. As soon as he saw the cops coming, he'd shunt us into the back office.
"The cops would come in and there'd be cigarettes left burning but not a soul in sight."
In previous masters Games in Wanganui, Ray has won two golds, four silvers and five bronze, either in eight-ball or snooker.
This year was the first time he failed to qualify in eight-ball so is hoping for better things in the snooker.
He says it's the camaraderie and friendships formed that keep bringing him back to the Masters.
