Not many sporting clubs can lay claim to still be thriving after 100 years in the game, but Glen Innes Bowling Club can.
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Its men’s club turned 100 on October 6 and last month it combined the birthday celebration with the annual Rose Carnival – now in its 60th year. The response was huge.
The event went over five days with the Ian Moore Memorial mixed pairs on Wednesday, the Phyllis McLaren/’Nan’ Bush Memorial ladies triples on Thursday, the Mick McLoughlin open pairs on Friday, the Jacob E Davis Memorial open pairs on Saturday and the Murray Stewart Memorial open pairs on Sunday.
“Sydney bowling clubs are closing up every week and for Glen Innes to be successful for 100 years is pretty special,” Glen Innes men’s bowls secretary Sandra Orvad said.
“Because we are such a small club, we had to combine the Rose Carnival and the 100-year celebration into the one thing, so each day was named after one of our significant bowlers.
“Every day had 28 teams. They came from as far away as Gladstone and Queensland and a group of bowlers came from Woy Woy.
“A lot of the prizes went to out-of-town bowlers which is always good. You like our locals to win but it was great a lot of our away bowlers [had win].”
There are currently 43 members in the Glen Innes club but Orvad said there is always room for more, with a fun day planned to give people the chance to try the sport.
“We are looking for numbers. There is a big fun day on Sunday. We are hoping to get lots of new bowlers coming to that,” she said.
“The club is actually going from strength to strength. We just need some younger people to give it a go.”
She believes some people may be put off from trying it out due to the common misconception of it not being a young person’s sport.
But she said there are plenty of local juniors bowling including her six-year-old grandson.
“Everyone thinks it is an old person's game but in reality it is not,” Orvad said.
“Hayley Ross, one of our juniors here, she played in the state open pairs and I think [she] is only 15.
“We have some younger guys. They would be in their 20s I suppose, and they have only just started playing and can't get enough of it, so it is a sport for everybody.”
The club for men was formed at a meeting on October 6, 1917. Women were allowed on the green in 1957.
At the start, a century ago, land on the corner of Wentworth and Macquarie Streets was leased for thirty pounds a year.
Club records show that the first green was laid down on April 19, 1919. A club house was opened in January, 1922.