PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE \\ ROBYN PROCTER \\ STATE PRESIDENT
“Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” – J Rohn The final few weeks of 2013 proved to be extremely active and eventful for players of all ages when Cabramatta Bowling Club hosted the New South Wales Australian Open Qualifying Tournament for Singles, Pairs and Fours. Congratulations to all those who qualified to play in the Australian Open to be held in Darebin, Victoria, starting February 16, 2014. From November 19-22, Club Pine Rivers in Queensland proudly welcomed bowlers and spectators from across Australia and overseas to the inaugural Australian Premier League (APL), a significant event in the history of bowls in Australia. Congratulations must go to Bowls Australia, the State and Territory Associations and the licence holders of the six teams participating in this unique tournament. I thoroughly enjoyed the exuberant, loud and thrilling experience; including of course catching up with the many bowls enthusiasts I met along the way. Well done Queensland for a magnificent win and I am already looking forward to the next event! I was fortunate again to be at Cabramatta to witness City claim the deciding game in the Junior City versus Country Series. My thanks to all those involved in organising the series and congratulations to the City Junior Boys and Girls on their win. Following lunch, I felt honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to present the Trish Part Junior Girls Trophy for 2013 to Jamie-Lee Worsnop, a young lady with a promising future who is dedicated to the sport of bowls. Jamie-Lee’s achievements for 2013 were outstanding and included: Gold Medal Under 18 National Championship Pairs, Winner NSW Ladies Indoor Singles Event, Winner NSW Girls Pairs. Great excitement followed the presentations for many juniors present when the 2014 Under 18 State Squad was named. Good bowling and best wishes in the future. 2013 ended on a sky high note for the Association, Australia and our own Karen Murphy! Congratulations Karen on winning the World Champion of Club Champions Singles staged in New Zealand in late November, early December. Karen defeated Champion of Club Champions from The Netherlands, Wales, Singapore, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, Japan and Malta, continuing in great style to
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defeat Lorna Smith from Scotland in a hard fought final. November 2013 was also a momentous month for the Association. An event to go down in History was our Board Meeting held in Bathurst, the first we have held in the country, which was a promise made to our members quite some time ago. The following day, members travelled to the Bathurst City Club (some for hours) to learn more about the boundaries review and to ask other questions concerning many issues arising in their respective clubs and districts. Currently, the Board has eight Directors including myself as President. It is a very satisfying situation that we now have Directors from four country areas - Bathurst, Inverell, Sussex Inlet and Mittagong - with the remaining Directors from Warrawee, Pennant Hills, Taren Point and Ramsgate. The Directors have varying backgrounds and offer the Association work experiences covering many important areas, resulting in each Director having two or more portfolios relevant to the different areas within the Association requiring expert assistance. A number of initiatives emerged during our November and December Board Meetings which included an updated Dress Policy, the decision to officially change our name to “Women’s Bowls NSW” and the announcement of a competition for the design of a new logo. The updated Dress Policy contains a couple of surprises and I urge all members to bring themselves up to date by reading the Policy on our website or printing it off. In line with the Association’s Strategic Plan, our Marketing Manager Nicola introduced the new Marketing Plan to the Board in December detailing involvement with media, articles, club penetration and co-ordination with Bowls Australia where appropriate. The decision to change our name was a relatively easy one - we have been using “womensbowlsnsw” on our website for
many years. Officially changing our name allows us to update our image and hence the introduction of a competition for a new logo, with a $1000 cash prize awaiting the winner. This is a very exciting initiative with the competition being open to everyone, bowlers and non-bowlers, budding and professional graphic designers, as well as the many who feel they have an artistic flair. Entry forms and conditions are contained in this magazine and also available online for printing. The winner will be announced at the State Carnival Dinner. The Boundaries Review is ongoing; however we do expect to have a joint Board Meeting with the Men’s Association within the next two months. The office has been overwhelmed by the amount of feedback received! Responses to date have included constructive criticism, total agreement, don’t want to know and uninformed; all gratefully received and currently being collated. As soon as we have any information regarding progress (or not) re the boundaries we will be letting you know. Preparations for the State Carnival being held on the South Coast are well underway and again, we are looking forward to a very successful week. Our May Board Meeting will be held at the Bomaderry Club on Saturday, May 24 and will be followed by a forum. If you are in the area on that day, I urge you to come and have your questions answered. Pennants may have begun for many of you. Enjoy this special time, good luck and good bowling to everyone. 2014 promises to be a challenging, eventful and successful year for our great sport and I do hope to meet with many of you over the next few months. Wishing each of you a fabulous 2014 full of great achievements and experiences. A meaningful chapter is waiting to be written. Robyn Procter State President
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