Club president Jim Rayner and pennant player Paul Stretton will be celebrating the 90th birthday of Werribee Bowls Club. 85649_03 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By LIAM TWOMEY
IT was all the way back in 1911 that the talks of a bowling club in Werribee first began.
However, at that stage they were just talks.
It wasn’t until over a decade later in 1922 that the plans officially kicked into gear. A small group of women from Werribee approached the progress association about establishing a bowling green in the town.
It was eventually agreed that the club would be set up on the condition that the bowling green groundskeeper also cut and mowed the lawns at the croquet club.
Now in 2012, the club is preparing to celebrate its 90th birthday.
Throughout that time Werribee has remained one of the premier bowling clubs in the western suburbs and it has the results to prove it.
The club boasts Australian champions, national representatives and Victorian champions.
In team competition, Werribee has also been one of the most successful clubs in the state since it first moved to the metropolitan competition in 1947.
It has won the A1 Pennant or its equivalent on at least six occasions and when Bowls Victoria decided to introduce a Premier Division involving only the elite teams, Werribee was one of the first chosen.
These outstanding results are on the back of not paying players unlike some of the other successful metropolitan clubs.
With 90 years of rich and entertaining history already under the club’s belt there are no plans to slow down in the future.
One of the major goals going forward is to continue to be an active member in the Werribee community and provide a family atmosphere within the club which members can enjoy.
President Jim Rayner said that was one of the reasons behind the decision to amicably split from the RSL last year.
“One of the highlights has been the amicable demerger with the RSL,” he said.
“If it hadn’t been for the RSL this bowling club could have well gone down years ago. Through their generous support they kept us alive and now we have just gone back to being a bowling club. “That has breathed a bit of fresh air into the clubhouse. Now we have an area where members can come and sit and have a quiet drink. Before that it was all poker machines.”
“The plan going ahead is to try and make the club the most successful and most attractive club in the West where people can come and play.”
Although there have been a number of changes throughout Werribee’s history, one thing that has remained the same is the volunteers who work hard to keep the club running.
Committee member Reg Hassett thanked them for their support in making the club a success.
“The work of volunteers keeps the place looking so attractive and afloat. When you go back into the history nothing has really changed. It was a group of volunteers who established the greens,” Hassett said.
The official celebrations will be held on this Saturday 25 August at the clubrooms.
Past and current members are invited to attend and can find out more details by contacting the club.
