Disabled Bowls at Hurstbridge Bowling Club

Down in Diamond Creek valley and surrounded by native bushland, Hurstbridge Bowling Club is the quintessential community club and is known as the home of wheelchair bowls in Victoria.

The club was originally a croquet club, however in the 1960s the members decided that they would rather play bowls and so the bowls club was affiliated in 1963.

The 2nd green was in 1986-1987 on top of the old tennis courts.

The club currently houses 120 bowling members and 200 social members.

In 1989 a co-op crew was formed, led by Frank Dad Skinner, to build the second building of the clubhouse. In 1990, 10 days before the new clubhouse was due to be opened, a crane dropping in a refrigerator fell over and onto the back part of the building, causing it all to cave in. Despite this setback, due to the hard work of the members the club still managed to open on the scheduled date!

Big storms in 2001 ravaged the clubhouse and caused the roof to collapse however, again thanks to the hard work of members, it was rebuilt as new.

Due to the dust from the road and footy oval next door causing algae to build up on the grass greens, the club decided in 1993 to replace both with synthetic greens that are much easier to upkeep.

In 2006, the club won the Diamond Valley Shield the first time it has done so in 15 years of competition.

Every Monday at Hurstbridge is disabled bowlers day where, on average, about a dozen handicapped people make use of the greens. The program was started 12 years ago by foundation and life member of the club, Graham Fraser.

The club has been fitted out for disabled people, with special outdoor disabled toilets and ramps to enter the clubhouse or get on the green.

The club has hosted the disabled bowls title for 14 years and has also hosted a 4 day international disabled bowls title.

Club member Steve Odgers was recently selected in the Australian side to compete in the world titles in the United States. He came home with a gold medal for winning the world cerebral palsy title.

Other wheelchair club champions include Pasco Starcevic, who won the Victorian Wheelchair Open Singles title in 200 and Pam Quick who in 1997 and 1999 won the Australian Wheelchair Ladies Singles competition.

The determination and skill displayed by the disabled bowlers here at Hurstbridge not only speaks volumes for the individuals and the club, but also for the accessibility of bowls to people of all ages and abilities.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• disabled
• lawn
• bowls
• hurstbridge
• bowling
• club