Kings Meadows Bowls Club celebrates 50 years

Inaugural club president Bert Beveridge and secretary Gordon Bellenger first conceived the idea of a club in September 1965 and wasted no time approaching the council about a parcel of land north of the Carr Villa gates. 

The land was then a tangle of gorse, rubbish and wattle trees but by September 1967 it had a freshly-laid green and was well on its way to becoming the pennant paradise it has been for the half-century since.

Club life member Audrey Bellenger, wife of the late Gordon, said the club had been built on many hours of voluntary labour and the help of many local businesses.

“Gordon got together with Bert, they did play bowls down at South Launceston at one stage but they decided to start one up here, they went around and got everyone they could think of on board,” Bellenger said.  

“This area was all bush, but the cemetery was there and there was a little shop up there where they used to sell flowers for Carr Villa and that sort of thing.”

In the past 50 years, the club has seen thousands of bowlers set foot on its greens and has an annual membership of more than 200.

The club has hosted everything from state championships to carpet bowls competitions and has expanded its facilities to include a second green and an indoor rink, which was the first of its kind in the state, if not the country, when it was built in 1990. 

Bellenger said many life-long friendships had been formed at the club. 

“It’s amazing the number of people you get to know through playing bowls and going to different clubs, even when you’re playing against them, you do get to know a lot of people.”

Fellow life member Joy Swinton said the green and club kitchen were equally useful places for making new friends. 

“It’s important in a number of ways for people to be able congregate and form good fellowship and have competition against other teams, the social aspect is very important,” she said. 

“I think friendship is one of the biggest ones, plus sportsmanship and team spirit.”

Kings Meadows Bowls Club will hold its 50^th anniversary celebrations on October 29.      

The event starts at 12.30pm.