By TANIA PHILLIPS
BACK in 1963 Ken Hansen sent one of the first bowls down on the opening day for the newly constructed bowls green at Cabarita – last Sunday he repeated the feat, almost 50 years to the day.
For the Cabarita local it was a special moment and a rare chance to get onto the greens that he helped have built.
“I’ve led a really active life so bowling is something I haven’t be able to do much,” he said.
“I’ve probably only played one game of bowls a year.”
Mr Hansen, who turns 82 next month, joked that he was saving bowling for his old age.
The first secretary of the club, he was instrumental in helping get it up and running and had the pleasure of bowling on the opening day back in July 1963.
Stories like Mr Hansen’s have been coming thick and fast this week, as the Cabarita Beach Sports Club celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Celebrations started on Saturday with the unveiling of a 50th anniversary plaque as well as traditional bowls games including “Spider” and “ditch to ditch”.
The celebrations ramped up a notch on Sunday with a kids’ party as well as a lunch for past and present committee members including original secretary Ken Hansen and foundation committee member Don Johansson.
Current club general manager Nick Brabham said he’d learned a lot about the club’s history and about the characters (and practical jokers) that were involved in the early days from chatting to the members past and present this week.
“One lady, Diana Abrahams told us her family (the Buchanans) had lived out at Clothiers Creek and her dad had wanted to build a road to come into Caba to go to the pub – when it was built the year before,” Nick said.
“Her mum wouldn’t let him but when she found out the bowls club was coming the road soon got built and for years she used to come in to bowls on a tractor until the road was tidied up.”
Events are planned all week from bowls days to today’s tours of the club’s recycling program with greenkeeper, former NSW greenkeeper of the year, David Perez.
The celebrations will culminate in the burying of a time capsule, a car give-away and a performance by Round Mountain Girls.
Nick said the time capsule would include all sorts of things from the week including men’s and women’s bowling shirts, a bottle of red and of white wine, a membership list and lots and photos and paper clippings from this week. It will be dug up on the club’s 75th anniversary.
