January 2022 Newsletter
Chairman’s Corner
Proposed Amalgamation with Killara Bowling Club
On Monday, 10 January, we were informed that the Killara Bowling Club will not be holding a meeting to vote on the proposed amalgamation before the agreement’s expiry date of 19 January 2022. The main reason given was with the current COVID-19 outbreak, a number KBC members would not be able to attend the meeting and therefore would be denied a vote on the future of their club. The KBC Board believed that if a vote were held, there would be challenges that would most likely prove successful.
Given the changes that have occurred at the KBC since the tied vote in March 2021 and their inability to secure a positive members’ vote for the amalgamation, I will be recommending to our Board that LRBC no longer pursue an amalgamation with KBC unless there is an overwhelming likelihood of a successful outcome.
I believe the biggest losers in this exercise are the Killara bowlers who remain members of a club that has had a wonderful past, but now has a very uncertain future. Their club’s current business model is unsustainable, and a voluntary windup is a distinct possibility. On the other hand, our club remains in a very strong position with a growing number of bowlers, outstanding facilities, financially secure and most importantly, has a member cohort that is supportive of each other and the Club.
Several KBC bowlers have applied to join the Rollers. They will enjoy all the benefits our Club has to offer.
COVID-19 Restrictions
Last month the Board resolved to admit only double vaccinated people into the Club, with this policy to be reviewed before 31 January 2022.
At the January meeting, the Board resolved to continue this policy at least until 31 March 2022.
With the proposed mid-week triples competition scheduled to commence on 9 February, we will be monitoring other clubs to ensure our participating members are aware of the situation.
Should a member of our club or the North Shore Bridge Club contract Covid, we ask they not attend the club for a period of 7 days following a negative COVID test result.
Green 3 Refurbishment of Banks
I would like to thank Gary Forster and Barrie Jones for overseeing the much needed repairs to the Green 3 banks. The work involved removing the old concrete bowls rests, laying a course of paving bricks on top of the banks, and then fixing aluminium bowls rests.
Finding a reliable contractor to do this work in current circumstances is not easy but Gary Forster came up trumps. Not only did he do an outstanding job, but it was done with minimum delay and at a very reasonable cost. The aluminium bowls rests came from the old Roseville Bowling Club, which was a major saving. When it was found that they were short some 20 metres of aluminium, Barrie and Chris Cash went back to Roseville and retrieved the necessary lengths. Following a good clean up they look first class. With the new rink furniture organised by Phil Lewis, Green 3 is now up to the very high standard of our other two greens.
Roger Parks
Chairman
What’s been happening?
Saturday, 18 December 2021 was our annual awards day. The worthy competition winners are:
Men’s Singles Winner & Club Champion – Neil Gosbell
Women’s Singles Winner – Monica Fluckiger (with Lorraine Forster)
Consistency Singles Winner – Roger Parks
Major Pairs Winners – Roger Parks & Bob Paterson
Club Triples Winners – Morris Sher, Ronnie Fendel & Arnold Green
Club Fours Winners – Lap Chen, Gary Forster, Ian Kimmorley & Phil Lewis
From the Ladies’ President
The start of 2023 Women’s Bowling Year has been rather quiet with attendance affected by the visitation of family members over the Christmas period, persistent wet weather and COVID concerns etc. However, the ladies are looking forward to an informal BYO lunch gathering before bowls on Saturday 22nd January. This will be an opportunity to catch up on all of the news from over the Christmas Break.
Lorraine Forster
Rollers Funnies
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
"Mick, I'm thinking of buying a Labrador.
"Don’t do it Paddy," says Mick "have you seen how many of their owners go blind?"
“I stayed up all night to see where the sun went … and then it dawned on me.”
A COMMON MEDICAL QUERY EXPLAINED:
There is a medical distinction between Guts and Balls. We've heard colleagues referring to people with Guts or with Balls.
Do they, however, know the difference between them?
Here's the official distinction; straight from the British Medical Journal: Volume 323; page 295.
GUTS - Is arriving home late, after a night out with the lads, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the Guts to ask: "Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"
BALLS - Is coming home late, after a night out with the lads, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and having the Balls to say: "You're next, Chubby".
I trust this clears up any confusion.
Medically speaking, there is no difference in the outcome; both are fatal.
There’s something about the Irish …
Seamus was taking his brand new motor bike out for a spin and invited his mate Paddy along for the ride, both dressed in their finest leathers. After a wee bit, Paddy, who was sitting behind Seamus on the bike began to holler “Seamus, Seamus … the wind is cutt’n me chest out!”
“Well, Paddy me lad,” said Seamus, as he stopped the bike briefly, “why don’t you take your jacket off and put it on back to front. That’ll block the wind for you.”
Paddy took Seamus’ advice and turned his leather coat around. Then the two of them were back on the bike and tearing down the road again. A short while later, Seamus turned to talk to Paddy and was horrified to discover that Paddy was not there. He immediately turned his bike around and retraced his route, looking for his mate.
Five minutes later Seamus came around a bend and saw a bunch of hayseeds standing around a person sitting on the ground. As he approached, he could see that the crowd was surrounding his missing mate.
“T’anks be to heaven,” Seamus called to the farmers, “is he alright?”
“Well,” said one of the farmers, “he was alright when we found him here. But since we turned his head back to the front, he hasn’t said a word!”
It never rains but it pours
On Thursday, 13 January 2022 the Heavens opened and dumped up to 50mm of rain on the Club.
At the time, Ian Holden and Garry Lowder were part way through their Consistency Singles match.
Here’s why they did not finish it on the day:
VALE
We have received sad news of the passing of several of our former bowlers;
John Bradwell 31st October 1931 – 24th December 2021
John was a member of Gordon Bowling Club for many years prior to joining Lindfield Rollers. Unfortunately, he only played a few games at Lindfield due to poor health but he was so happy with the merger and the success of the club that he always paid his membership.
John met his lovely English born wife Pam in Sydney and married in England. They spent their honeymoon travelling in Europe and were married for 61 years.
John and Pam lived at Roseville before moving to Lindfield Gardens 16 years ago.
They travelled extensively and John being an avid photographer carried his cameras everywhere they went. John was an Industrial Chemist and eventually joined the EPA where he finished his career.
Together they had two sons and a daughter and in the early days John and Pam purchased a small fibro holiday cottage at Pearl Beach. As the family grew John rebuilt the cottage into a two-storey log cabin with verandas all around. The family would gather there most weekends and holidays to enjoy the beach and the peace and quiet of the little Pearl Beach community.
John was very active at Lindfield Gardens serving on the residents’ committee and playing snooker with the ‘boys’.
Recently John’s health started to deteriorate but he retained his sense of humour and remained at home with Pam’s care before going to the San. He passed away peacefully on Christmas Eve at the San with Pam and his three children by his side.
Adrian De Lange
Adrian played bowls at the Roseville club for a number of years but eventually had to give up bowls due to ill-health.
Brian Cohen
Brian was a long-term member of the Roseville club including a 3-year term as President. He was a real gentleman and friend to all who, despite his high position in public life, was very down-to-earth. He did not display any sense of superiority but was happy to mix with everyone. He commenced his bowling career at Roseville whilst still working as the head judge of Equity at the Supreme Court of NSW, a position that he eventually retired from so that he could play more bowls.
Looking ahead …
The Consistency Singles competition is well underway, with all but a couple of Round 1 matches now completed.
The Minor Singles competition is up next, with entries closing on January 29th. This competition is open to anyone whose handicap is 5 or more.
We have entered two Grade C sides in the forthcoming Zone Mid-Week Challenge competition, which begins on 9 February. This comp is being played under a new format of three bowl triples with two sets each of nine ends. Three points to be awarded for each set won. The jack is fixed on the 2-metre mark and is to be re-spotted if taken out of bounds.
We have been invited to enter a side in the St Ives Tapner Tournament Jacobs Creek Invitational event on Thursday, 24 February. This will involve nine players (pairs, triples and fours).
The proposed promotional day when we have invited “That Great Market” from East Lindfield Shopping Centre to hold their market at our Club is still expected to proceed but for Covid and other reasons, it is now not expected to take place until April.
A word from the editor
The New Year has begun and still we have Covid with us. The signs are promising, however, that the Omicron variant has peaked or will soon do so and that we may therefore see a decline of Covid from pandemic to endemic status. Which means we will just have to live with it as we do the Flu.
In the meantime, please maintain all of the Covid protocols at the Club to minimise our chances of becoming a spreading centre.
Don’t forget – contributions to the Newsletter are always welcome, even if I have to do a bit of censoring here and there!
Have a great year of bowling in 2022!
Till next time … Happy New Year!
Garry Lowder
