The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club – Bribie Island

By Neil Wilson - Sub Editor for the Bribie Islander

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The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club. Lawn Bowls. Local Clubs and groups. Bribie Island. Brisbane.

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Tags: The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club. Lawn Bowls. Local Clubs and groups. Bribie Island. Brisbane.

PUT YOUR MONEY IN THE TIN

Making a mistake when delivering a bowl or swearing by members of the Bongaree Bowls Club has resulted in a donation of $500 being presented to the “BIKES” (Bribie Island Kids Education Support) organisation recently. The guilty bowlers have put money in the collection tin on each occasion that they have offended.

Featured Image(above): Bongaree ladies singles 2018 championship finalists Imelda
Valentine and Elna Jensen. The championship was won by Imelda

The amount that was donated will go towards assisting the students of Bribie Island who have been identified as needing to be supplied with essential items such as uniforms as well as funds for school excursions and swimming lessons.

The board of the Bongaree Bowls Club has made a decision to support this worthwhile charity on an annual basis. The Bongaree Bowls Club was founded in 1949 by a group of local bowls enthusiasts who were former members of the Bribie Island Bowls Club and, after much-dedicated labour by the original members of the fledgling club, the greens and clubhouse were completed in 1952 and games were played at the club from September of the same year.

The official opening of the club was in July of 1953 and the event was attended by members often visiting bowls clubs as well as representatives from the Queensland Bowling Association. Arthur Winston became the first president and he remained in the position until 1964. The first green was named in his honour.

The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club was also formed in 1952 with the official opening being in November of that year. The second green was completed in 1972 and named after the president at the time, E. Richardson and the third green (named after foundation and life member Fred Kling) was opened in October 1980 and in 2007, this became the first green on the island to feature a retractable shade. I recently had the opportunity to talk to two of the current members of the club who have both served as club presidents and are obviously passionate about both their club and their bowls.

Dennis Piddington told me that in its early years, the Bongaree Bowls Club was the biggest club on the island and he explained that it remained that way for quite some time until, as the result of changing times, ownership was acquired by the Bribie RSL. He said that whilst the club is staffed by the RSL, the bowls club still has it’s own identity.

Avid bowler Arthur Hangan told me that the club currently has well in excess of two hundred members and is constantly attracting new members. He said that a number of these are from the U3a. He pointed out that the club offers free coaching to those who wish to learn the game and this is by qualified bowls coaches.

The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club. Lawn Bowls. Local Clubs and groups. Bribie Island. Brisbane.

Bongaree Bowls Club Board Chairman Barry France (R) presented a $500 cheque to BIKES representative Jon Wood

Dennis and Arthur also told me that on the first Sunday of each month, the club is the venue for Brekkie Bowls which is a morning where both men and women gather for breakfast and then a game of bowls. “This is always a popular event,’ Dennis said. In a recent closely competed event, the finals of the Club Ladies Championship were played off between Imelda Valentine and Elna Jensen with Imelda being announced as the eventual winner and 2018 club champion.

New members are always welcome at the Bongaree Bowls Club and anyone who would like to find out more about the club can call 3408 0005 or go to the Facebook page for all the details.

Other Articles

https://thebribieislander.com.au/arts-and-crafts-club/

https://thebribieislander.com.au/rsl-womens-auxiliary/


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