Annual Report 2015/16 BOWLS AUSTRALIA 2015/16 ANNUAL REPORT

Darebin International Sports Centre John Cain Memorial Park 281 Darebin Road, Thornbury, VIC 3071

www.bowlsaustralia.com.au

100 2015-16 Annual Report

Sponsors

Bets wishes to all players in the 2015 Australian Indoor Championships. At Domina/BCiB we have proudly supported the sport of lawn bowls for over 25 years.

Domina/BCiB is a family business operating since 1987 and today employs a dedicated team of 17 from our head office in the Illawarra region of NSW and branch on the Gold Coast, Qld.

Designed by Jejak Graphics: 03 5977 8804

Our philosophy is to build long term relationships with our clients by providing great service, great products and professional advice. Our client base is a mixture of small, medium and large commercial operations, all receiving our high standard of professional service.

2 2015-16 Annual Report

Ian Hopper, Paul Constable, Jenny Gaul and Kelvin Kerkow are your experienced insurance broking team.

Domina/BCiB – your insurance broker working harder for you. We help you take the risk out of insurance.

 [ 02 ] 4255 2855 visit us online WWW.DOMINA. COM.A U

31-33 WENTWORTH ST • PORT KEMBLA NSW 250 NSW Q LD

PO BOX 214 P O R T K E M B L A N S W 2 5 0 P O B OX 3 9 2 WEST BURLEIGH QLD 4 2 1

Contents ceo and president’s report. ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 STATE AND TERRITORY ASSOCIATIONS...................................................................................................................................... 11 BOWLS AUSTRALIA BOARD DIRECTORS, STAFF & COMMITTEES............................................................................ 12 BOWLS AUSTRALIA board. ................................................................................................................................................................ 16 AUSTRALIAN SQUADS.............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Australian Sports Commission message.................................................................................................................... 20 AUSTRALIAN PREMIER LEAGUE REPORT................................................................................................................................... 22 PARTICIPATION report. ........................................................................................................................................................................ 26 REGIONAL BOWLS MANAGERS......................................................................................................................................................... 32 HIGH PERFORMANCE report.......................................................................................................................................................... 34 events & COMPETITION report................................................................................................................................................... 40 COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING REPORT............................................................................................................................. 44 commercial operations report........................................................................................................................................... 48

Designed by Jejak Graphics: 03 5977 8804

2016 AUSTRALIAN OPEN REPORT................................................................................................................................................... 50 HALL OF FAME & AWARDS.................................................................................................................................................................... 54 HONOUR ROLL.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 60 Finance report........................................................................................................................................................................................ 64 Sponsors and Club Partners...............................................................................................................................................IBC

2015-16 Annual Report 3

President’s and CEO’s Report

Nigel Smith

As President and CEO of Bowls Australia (BA), it gives us great pleasure to write a joint report highlighting the organisation’s achievements and successes from 2015/16, and to express our gratitude and appreciation to the numerous individuals and organisations that have contributed to the growth and development of Bowls in Australia over this period. There have been many highlights over the period of this report, but the following milestones were particularly significant: • An increase in participation of Bowls in Australia from 2014 to 2015 by 3.92% to 623,281; • The expansion of the Regional Bowls Manager program into Queensland, which made this a truly national initiative; • The continued successful delivery of national participation programs – Jack Attack and Jr. Jack Attack; • The Australian Jackaroos’ exceptional performance on the 4 2015-16 Annual Report

Neil Dalrymple

international stage; • The highly successful staging of the Australian Open and the Australian Premier League; • The signing of new national sponsors in Stockland, the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) and Blamey Saunders Hears; • The significant launch of a new free-to-air TV program “The Bowls Show” with 20 episodes on SBS and SBS On Demand; • The signing of a two year agreement with Fox Sports Australia, showcasing the sport with over 100 hours of bowls coverage per annum; and • The successful bid to host the 2017 and 2018 World Champion of Champions at St Johns Park Bowling Club in Sydney. BA and the State and Territory Associations (STA) continue to work collaboratively across a range of areas and programs in an effort to better align and reduce the duplication of services. This will continue to be a focus

area for our respective Boards, CEOs and staff members.

Bowls in Australia Strategic Plan 2013 2017 In collaboration with the STAs, BA have continued to focus and invest in the delivery of the strategic initiatives outlined in the Bowls in Australia Strategic Plan 20132017. Significant progress has been achieved during the last three years, but as we near the conclusion of this plan in the coming year, resources and energies will be now be targeted at the creation of a new strategic plan for the sport for the next period. There are many changes occurring in society surrounding how

Over the past year, BA has commenced work on developing a national brand for Bowls in Australia.

people consume sport and spend their leisure time, so all Bowls organisations in Australia should remain flexible and innovative with their planning to adapt to these future changes and trends. A number of working parties and committees involving representatives of BA, STAs and external individuals have played important roles in progressing and delivering many of the strategic initiatives outlined in this Plan, and while recognised later in this Annual Report, we thank those persons for their contribution. Several important strategies have been identified by the BA Board and management that need to be created over the next 6-18 months, which will be incorporated in the next strategic plan. Importantly, new National Participation and High Performance plans were created in the past year and these will provide a clear roadmap for future initiatives.

Participation Participation rates of Bowls in Australia increased by 3.92% from 2014 to 2015 to 623,281. Social Bowls is the most popular format of the sport with 364,294, whilst 215,597 play in pennant or more formal competitions and 43,390 participate in Jack Attack/School programs. Three new Regional Bowls Managers (RBMs) joined BA during the 2015-16 year, making a total of 17 RBMs operating across Australia. It is pleasing to report that Queensland joined the program, thus making it a truly national program for the sport, with Peter Nixon and Paul Jackson appointed to positions in this state, while Shenayde Heldt became Western Australia’s second RBM. As a result of BA’s partnership with the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), the RBMs assisted with the delivery of over 40 health and wellbeing sessions in many bowls clubs across Australia, which were very well received by clubs, members and spectators and an added service provided by BA through this partnership. BA’s participation program Jack Attack continues to be popular and it is exciting to report an increase in registered clubs, with over 120 Bowls clubs involved across Australia. BA’s junior participation program Jr. Jack Attack has enabled Bowls to continue to be part of the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC) Sporting Schools Program, which provides funding for schools to select a sport, of which bowls is one of 32. Over 460 Jr. Jack Attack kits were sold to Bowls clubs and schools during this period.

2015-16 Annual Report 5

The Australian Jackaroos team performed extremely well on the international arena, particularly at the 2015 Asia Pacific Championships

High Performance The Australian Jackaroos team performed extremely well on the international arena, particularly at the 2015 Asia Pacific Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, where they secured four gold medals and eight medals in total. The team also successfully retained the Trans-Tasman trophy over New Zealand. A test series against Scotland was held at Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast and the Australian Jackaroos had a comprehensive victory as preparations gear up for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Preparations for the 2016 World Bowls Championship continued to be the major focus for the team and staff in 2015 and 2016. 6 2015-16 Annual Report

Events This period was capped off by the second staging of the Australian Open on the Gold Coast, which offered an increase of $25,000 in prize money, taking the total to $250,000. The event attracted an increase in participants of 13.55% with over 1,932 participants visiting the Gold Coast region for 14 days of competition. The final two days of competition were showcased with live Fox Sports broadcasted action and large crowds in attendance. We would like to express our appreciation to Tourism and Events Queensland and the City of Gold Coast personnel who assisted with the planning and staging of this event.

Another highlight on the national stage was the third Australian Premier League, held at Club Pine Rivers, Queensland. Congratulations go to the New Zealand Blackjacks for winning the coveted title in an exciting final against the Adelaide Endurance, who must be applauded for recording their third runner-up placing. The Australian Sides Championship (Queanbeyan BC and Queanbeyan Memorial RSL BC, ACT), Australian Indoor Championship (Tweed Heads BC, NSW), Australian Champion of Champions (Coolum Beach BC, QLD) and the Australian Under-18 Championship (Tuggeranong Valley BC, ACT) were all successfully staged and Bowls Australia thank the host clubs, volunteers and

officials for their contribution and support. BA staff were involved in the staging of a number of World Bowls events hosted in Australia and these included the World Champion of Champions (Club Helensvale, QLD) and the World Cup (Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club, NSW). In addition, Australia was successful in its bid to host the 2017 and 2018 World Champion of Champions at the St Johns Park Bowling Club in NSW.

Commercial Development New sponsors to join BA in 2015/16 included Stockland, Good Sports, Blamey Saunders Hears and the Royal District Nursing Service and it was pleasing that a number of existing sponsors recommitted to BA, including AERO Bowls, MakMax and New Age Caravans. BA and the STAs continued to work closely on the delivery of the Bowls Connect program in partnership with our technology provider the Sports Technology Group (STG). While there remains some challenges with this program, there has been significant progress made with a number of STAs and given the importance of technology to the sport, this program remains a high priority. The National Merchandising Program continues to perform well and it must be noted that all proceeds are used to help fund the national RBM program, who provide direct support and assistance to Bowls Clubs across Australia.

Leadership & Governance In partnership with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), a series of seminars were delivered by the ASC’s Linda Muir and were focussed on a skills audit and evaluation for the BA and STA Boards, which will result in a final report being delivered by Linda with recommendations for the sport at a national and state level.

New sponsors to join BA in 2015/16 included Stockland, Good Sports, Blamey Saunders Hears and the Royal District Nursing Service. Bowls Victoria successfully implemented this model over the past two years (with a 9% increase in membership in 2015/16), while Bowls NSW are in the process of implementing the model in 2016/17 and Bowls WA will transition in 2017/18.

The BA Audit, Risk and Policy Committee was very active in this period, with a focus on a comprehensive review of the BA Constitution and many of BA’s Board policies. This is an important function of BA and this committee has spent countless hours on these tasks.

The model to be introduced in 2016/17 is designed to provide an incentive to disclose members and participants and for these details to be included into the Bowls Connect database, therefore providing a better indication of membership and participation figures.

Progress continues to be made with the implementation of a new Fixed Fee Membership Capitation model that will apply to all STAs in 2016/17.

It is also designed to encourage clubs to be more flexible with the categories of memberships offered and to facilitate a more progressive revenue flow from membership. 2015-16 Annual Report 7

Communications A major highlight of the past 12 months was the announcement that the sport of bowls would return to free-to-air television after a four-year hiatus, with a new weekly program titled “The Bowls Show” airing on SBS and SBS On Demand. BA and SBS announced a partnership to bring the sport of bowls back to the masses with a 20 week, hour-long magazine-style program, featuring highlights of the sport’s marquee events, every Sunday afternoon, at 1pm on SBS. The Bowls Show brought the sport back to free-to-air television for the first time since 2011, when it concluded a 30 year relationship with the ABC. The program marked the first occasion bowls was broadcast in high definition on free-to-air channels, with the sport finding a new home on SBS while also being made available through the 8 2015-16 Annual Report

network’s catch-up service, SBS On Demand. Fox Sports Australia agreed to commit to broadcasting Bowls for a further two years on their network, with over 100 hours of content set to be broadcast featuring the Australian Open, Bowls Premier League and The Bowls Show. Over the past year, BA has commenced work on developing a national brand for Bowls in Australia. BA and the STAs will achieve brand uniformity through the use of consistent brand elements in all corporate logo designs, which will make them identifiable as part of a suite of logos. It is proposed that each association will retain its own individuality and personal identity through unique elements specific to their region. Brand uniformity in the sport will assist in overall recognition of the

greater bowls brand, assist in the commercialisation of the sport, and allow every association to use their logo on apparel and in modern mediums, such as in broadcast and on graphic artwork such as posters or advertisements.

Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the loyal support and generous contribution from the Federal Government through the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport. In particular, the Minister for Sport the Hon. Sussan Ley and the ASC Board under the leadership of Chair John Wylie and CEO Simon Hollingsworth, who have provided invaluable advice and support to our organisation over this period. Sincere thanks go to President Sam Coffa, CEO Craig Phillips and the Board of Management of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for their continued support of Bowls and our High Performance program.

We would like to acknowledge the loyal support and generous contribution from the Federal Government through the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport. BA continue to harness a strong relationship with each STA during the 2015/16 period and collectively we have worked collaboratively on a number of projects and initiatives that will continue to develop over the coming months and years. We thank the Presidents and their Boards, Chief Executive Officers and their staff for their support. A special acknowledgement must be made to BA’s broadcast partners, SBS, Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sport NZ for their support and efforts in bringing bowls into the lounge rooms of fans across the country and abroad. BA are also very grateful to all host clubs and volunteers of national and international events, and a special mention is made to the Broadbeach Bowls Club and Colleen and Barry Gilbert for their ongoing support of the Australian Open and High Performance events. To our valued sponsors and corporate partners who are outlined in the Commercial Development section of this annual report, the BA Board and staff extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation for these partnerships, and look forward to continuing to develop these relationships collaboratively into the future. A special thank-you is made to BA’s Board of Directors, staff, national committees and volunteers for their continual commitment and dedication to

the growth and development of the sport and brand of bowls in Australia. BA also acknowledge World Bowls President John Bell, CEO Gary Smith and the organisation’s directors for their efforts over this period. Bowls Australia also extends its thanks to all of the National Merchandise Program licensees for their ongoing contributions. We also congratulate the four members inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame during this period Bob King, Audrey Hefford, Don Woolnough OAM and Dorothy

Roche OAM - in addition to Betty Collins OAM, who was bestowed Life Membership.

In Memoriam Throughout the past year, bowls communities throughout Australia have lost many loved and respected friends and members and we offer our prayers and thoughts to those clubs and bowls families. Nigel Smith President Neil Dalrymple Chief Executive Officer 2015-16 Annual Report 9

State & Territory Association Contact Details Bowls ACT

Bowls WA

54 McCaughey Street Turner ACT 2602 PO Box 6105 O’Connor ACT 2602 Ph: 02 6257 3560 Fax: 02 6257 4229 exec@bowlsact.org.au

1st Floor, 158 Main Street Osborne Park WA 6017 PO Box 123 Osborne Park WA 6917 Ph: 08 9340 0800 Fax: 08 9242 1866 enquiries@bowlswa.com.au

Bowls NT

WOMEN’S BOWLS NSW

GPO Box 728 Darwin NT 0801 Ph. 08 8947 5125 bowlsnt@bigpond.com

7th Floor, 309 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9267 7155 Fax: 02 9267 7254 reception@womensbowlsnsw.org.au

Bowls QLD 72 Pickering Street Enoggera QLD 4051 PO Box 476 Alderley QLD 4051 Ph: 07 3355 9988 Fax: 07 3855 0010 admin@bowlsqld.org

Bowls SA 3A Rowells Road Lockleys SA 5032 PO Box 59 Brooklyn SA 5032 Ph: 08 8234 7544 Fax: 08 8351 8220 reception@bowlssa.com.au

Bowls TAS

ROYAL NSW BOWLING ASSOCIATION Level 5, 309 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A2186 Sydney South NSW 1235 Ph: 02 9283 4555 Fax: 02 9283 4252 rnswba@rnswba.org.au

bowls Victoria Suite 7, 32-36 Camberwell Rd Hawthorn East 3123 PO Box 6080 Hawthorn West VIC 3122 Ph: 03 9861 7100 Fax: 03 9813 4199 bowlsvic@bowlsvic.org.au

6a Forster St, Invermay Tasmania 7248 P.O. Box 4041 Invermay, 7248 Phone: (03) 6331 7436 Fax: (03) 6331 7435 exec@bowlstasmania.com.au 2015-16 Annual Report 11

Board Directors, Staff & Committees STATE CONSULTATIVE BODY NIGEL SMITH Bowls Australia President (Chair) KATHRYN BAILEY Bowls Australia Board Director JEWEL BUCHANAN Bowls Australia Board Director DARRYL CLOUT Bowls Australia Board Director RAY DIENELT Bowls Australia Board Director MELANIE JONES Bowls Australia Board Director ANDREW WALTON Bowls Australia Board Director (from February 24, 2016) LOUISE WITTON Bowls Australia Board Director WAYNE TURLEY Bowls Australia Board Director JOHN FISHER OAM Bowls Victoria President GRAEME BRIDGE Bowls Victoria Chief Executive Officer VINCE BEARD RNSWBA President GREG HELM RNSWBA Chief Executive Officer ROBYN PROCTER Women’s Bowls NSW President MELANIE CANTWELL Women’s Bowls NSW Executive Officer JOHN DAWSON Bowls Queensland President (to March 22, 2016) PETER WILLIAMSON Bowls Queensland President (from March 22, 2016) WARREN BIRKS Bowls Queensland Chief Executive Officer (from February, 2016 to June 30, 2016) 12 2015-16 Annual Report

GRAHAM LEEKS Bowls WA President KEN PRIDE Bowls WA Chief Executive Officer

Nominations Committee: NIGEL SMITH Bowls Australia President (Chair)

JANICE KELLY OAM Bowls SA President

WAYNE TURLEY Bowls Australia Board Director

MARK EASTON Bowls SA Chief Executive Officer

MICHAEL CATLOW Independent Member

BEVERLEY DOWRICK Bowls ACT President

NEIL DALRYMPLE Bowls Australia Chief Executive Officer (Convenor)

KATE LYTTLE Bowls ACT Executive Officer GARRY BEVAN Bowls Tasmania President REBECCA VAN ASCH Bowls Tasmania Executive Officer STAN SMOLSKI Bowls NT President LEE FARRELL Bowls NT Executive Officer

committees Audit, Risk and Policy Committee: JEWEL BUCHANAN Bowls Australia Board Director (Chair) LOUISE WITTON Bowls Australia Board Director KATHRYN BAILEY Bowls Australia Board Director CHRIS BROPHY Independent Member

CEO Performance and Remuneration Committee: NIGEL SMITH Bowls Australia President (Chair) DARRYL CLOUT Bowls Australia Board Director KATHRYN BAILEY Bowls Australia Board Director

Women in bowls committee: MELANIE JONES Bowls Australia Board Director (Chair) WAYNE TURLEY Bowls Australia Board Director LOUISE WITTON Bowls Australia Board Director MERRILEE BARNES Independent Member

WORLD BOWLS 2020: NEIL DALRYMPLE Bowls Australia CEO (Chair) NIGEL SMITH Bowls Australia President RON CHAMBERS Musgrave Hill representative LEN BRUNT Club Helensvale representative COLLEEN GILBERT Broadbeach representative SCOTT COLLINS Tourism and Events Queensland representative MARK CASEY Bowls Australia Events and Competition Manager

NATIONAL OFFICIATING ADVISORY GROUP: TONY SHERWILL Bowls Australia Chief Operating Officer

PETER HANLON Bowls Australia Education and Training Coordinator (Convenor)

JEWEL BUCHANAN Bowls Australia Board Director

JOHN ROBERTS - CHAIR (VIC)

ROMA DUNN Hall of Fame Inductee

BOB CARLSON (VIC) JOHN DAWSON (QLD) PAM HOCKINGS (NSW) IAN IRVINE (QLD) ANDREW LYNN (NSW) SANDY WALLACE (SA)

NATIONAL COACHING ADVISORY GROUP: PETER HANLON Bowls Australia Education and Training Coordinator (Convenor) STEVE GLASSON OAM Bowls Australia National Coach JULIA WALSH (VIC) GARY WILLIS (NSW) JAEWYN NORTON (WA) GREG BOSTOCK (QLD)

NATIONAL SELECTION PANEL: STEVE GLASSON OAM Bowls Australia National Coach Kelvin Kerkow OAM Dave Stockham

SAM CLOUGH OAM

JAMES THAI Bowls Australia IT Systems Coordinator (to April 26, 2016)

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY PANEL:

JAKUB SYSLO Bowls Australia Marketing and Digital Coordinator (from April 27, 2016)

ANDREW LARRATT Independent Member - Chair

LUKE BROWN Bowls Victoria IT Coordinator

TONY SHERWILL Bowls Australia Chief Operating Officer

KATE LYTTLE Bowls ACT Executive Officer

GARRY DILLON Bowls Australia National Participation Manager

GREG HELM RNSWBA Chief Executive Officer

CLIVE ADAMS Bowls Australia Regional Bowls Manager – Team Leader South WAYNE STREET Independent member CHRIS WALLACE Regional Bowls Manager – Team Leader North

NATIONAL BOWLS BRAND WORKING PARTY: MARK EASTON Bowls SA CEO (Chair) AIDAN DAVIS Bowls Australia Communications and Marketing Manager

APL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE:

JAKUB SYSLO Bowls Australia Marketing and Digital Coordinator

BRETT WILKIE Player Representative PAUL LEEDS Independent Member WAYNE TURLEY Bowls Australia Board Director MARK CASEY Bowls Australia Events and Competition Manager

NEIL DALRYMPLE Bowls Australia CEO (Chair)

BETTY COLLINS OAM Hall of Fame Inductee

Beth Quinlan

NEIL DALRYMPLE Bowls Australia CEO (Chair)

BOWLS CONNECT WORKING PARTY:

GUY HAND Bowls Victoria Marketing and Communications Manager CHERYL STRONG Bowls NSW Marketing Manager CHRIS LEE Bowls TAS Board Director KATE LYTTLE Bowls ACT Executive Officer

AARON DELAPORTE Bowls WA Operations Manager KATE WINGROVE Women’s Bowls NSW Operations Manager KYLIE HARTLEY Women’s Bowls NSW Administration Officer WARREN BIRKS Bowls Queensland CEO (to June 30, 2016) BIANCA CHIERA Bowls SA Member Liaison ERIN HAINES Bowls SA Operations Manager Taylor SMITH Bowls SA Operations Manager (Interim) GUY HAND Bowls Victoria Communications and Marketing Manager BARRY ORR Bowls NT Super-User

Capitation and Revenue Stream Working Party:

MELANIE JONES Bowls Australia Board Director

KEN PRIDE Bowls WA Chief Executive Officer (Chair)

KELSEY COTTRELL Bowls Australian Communications Coordinator

ROBYN PROCTER Women’s Bowls NSW President

NEIL DALRYMPLE Bowls Australia Chief Executive Officer

HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE:

KAREN FERGUSON Domina BCiB CEO

Tony Sherwill Bowls Australia Chief Operating Officer

RAY DIENELT Bowls Australia Board Director

GREG HELM RNSWBA Chief Executive Officer

ERROL BUNGEY Hall of Fame Inductee (Chair)

MARK EASTON Bowls SA Chief Executive Officer 2015-16 Annual Report 13

Good Governance Project Working Party: EUGENIE BUCKLEY Independent Member (Chair) JOHN BOULTBEE Independent Member KATE LYTTLE Bowls ACT Executive Officer KATHRYN BAILEY Bowls Australia Board Director DARRYL CLOUT Bowls Australia Board Director LINDA MUIR ASC Project Manager

GARY WILLIS NTC Coach ACT/NSW and National Assistant Coach

SHANE MOON Regional Bowls Manager – North and Western SA

MARK CASEY Regional Bowls Manager – South East Queensland (to January 3, 2016)

IAN JAMES Regional Bowls Manager – Southern and Eastern SA

MARK CASEY Events and Competition Manager (from January 4, 2016)

BARRIE LESTER Regional Bowls Manager – Eastern and Southern metro/Gippsland

PETER BROWN High Performance Coordinator

PAUL HOLTSCHKE Regional Bowls Manager – Western and Northern metro/Geelong

DANIELLE MONTAGUE Bowls Operations Coordinator PETER HANLON Education And Training Coordinator (from January 4, 2016)

MERRILEE BARNES ASC Lead, Participation and Integrity

BRETT WILKIE National Training Centre Coach – Queensland

Staff

MARK COWAN National Training Centre Coach – Victoria/Tasmania

Operations NEIL DALRYMPLE Chief Executive Officer DARYL ROGERS Finance Manager (to August 12, 2015) (Part-time) GLENN HUDSON Finance Manager (from October 5, 2015) SAMANTHA TRIMBLE People and Culture Manager (from November 5, 2015) MEGHAN ALBERT Operations and HR Manager (to August 28, 2015) LINDA MOLI Finance Coordinator STEPHANIE WATERS Operations Coordinator (from September 6, 2015, 2015 to March 31, 2016) (Part-time) VICTORIA TROSTER Operations Administrator (from February 29, 2016) (Part-time) FRAN TROON (to October 30, 2015) (Part-time)

Bowls Operations TONY SHERWILL Chief Operating Officer GARRY DILLON National Participation Manager STEVE GLASSON National Coach 14 2015-16 Annual Report

FAYE LUKE National Training Centre Coach – South Australia/Northern Territory (Part-time) THERESE HASTINGS National Training Centre Coach – Western Australia (Part-time) CLIVE ADAMS Regional Bowls Manager – WA and Team Leader South CHRIS WALLACE Regional Bowls Manager – Sydney Metro and Team Leader North PETER BEVAN Regional Bowls Manager – North East NSW DAVID INGLIS Regional Bowls Manager – Riverina NSW JOSH THORNTON Regional Bowls Manager – North East Victoria COLLEEN ORR Regional Bowls Manager – Northern Territory (Part-time) ANDREW HOWIE Regional Bowls Manager – ACT and South East NSW (to March 20, 2016) ANDREW HOWIE Regional Bowls Manager – South East Queensland (from March 21, 2016)

SIMON MORRISON Regional Bowls Manager – Tasmania MARK WHITEMAN Regional Bowls Manager – Newcastle and Central Coast JOHN EMERSON Regional Bowls Manager – Western Victoria (from August 24, 2015) SHENAYDE HELDT Regional Bowls Manager – Western Australia South (from June 27, 2016) PAUL JACKSON Regional Bowls Manager – Tropical North Queensland (from June 27, 2016) PETER NIXON Regional Bowls Manager – Central Queensland (from June 27, 2016) SAMANTHA HOMEWOOD Schools and Social Programs Coordinator (from March 15, 2016 to April 12, 2016)

COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS AIDAN DAVIS Communications and Marketing Manager MELANIE RUTLEY GM - Commercial Operations (to September 18, 2015) JENNIFER PITSON Sponsorship and Partnership Manager (from March 7, 2016) JAKUB SYSLO Events Coordinator (to September 3, 2015) JAKUB SYSLO Marketing and Digital Coordinator (from September 4, 2015) KELSEY COTTRELL Communications Coordinator (Part-time)

2015-16 Annual Report 15

Bowls Australia Board QUALIFICATIONS

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Australian Institute of Company Directors – Fellow

Chair - Nominations Committee

Diploma - Agricultural Science

Chair – CEO Performance and Remuneration Committee

EXPERIENCE Former Managing Director QAF Meat Industries

Member – World Bowls 2020 Organising Committee

Former Managing Director Bunge Meat Industries Former Chairman Diamond Valley Pork

Nigel Smith

QUALIFICATIONS

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

General Nurse, Midwife, Mothercraft

Chair - Audit, Risk and Governance Committee

EXPERIENCE Former President - NSW Women’s Bowling Association Former District President - Northern Suburbs Women’s Bowling Association Former President - Dural Country Club Women’s Bowling Club

Jewel Buchanan

Former founding President - NSW Child and Family Nurses Association

QUALIFICATIONS

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Director - The Neutral Bay Club, NSW (16 consecutive years)

Member - Audit, Risk and Policy Committee

Chair of the Board - The Neutral Bay Club (six consecutive years) Office Manager - Zenith Media, Australia’s largest media consultancy (10 years) Represented NSW: 2004-2012 Represented Queensland: 2013-present

Louise Witton

QUALIFICATIONS Australian Institute of Company Directors (Residential) Course

EXPERIENCE Vice President – International Softball Federation; Former General Manager Department of Sport & Recreation NSW Former executive board member NSW Softball Association

Darryl Clout

16 2015-16 Annual Report

Former President Softball Australia

Former Board member of NSW Institute of Sport Director- Blacktown Venue Management Inc

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES CEO Performance and Remuneration Committee

EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Director Turley Enterprises Pty Ltd

Member of the Australian Premier League Advisory Committee

2006 Commonwealth Games men’s triples gold medal

Member - Nominations Committee

Bowls Coordinator Taren Point Bowling Club Represented NSW: 1999-present Represented Australia: 131 games Joint owner – Wayne Turley & Claire Duke’s Aero Bowls World

Wayne Turley

EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Five test matches and 61 one-day international cricket matches for Australia between 1997 and 2005

Women in bowls committee Bowls brand working party

One of Victoria’s most capped female cricketers with 142 games for her state Regular TV & radio cricket commentator with Network Ten, Nine, BCCI and BBC Athlete management specialist with TLA World Wide

Melanie Jones

EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Metropolitan Director - Bowls SA for (three years)

Member - CEO Performance and Remuneration Committee

Board representative to the SA Match and Program Committee Member - Bowls SA Hall of Fame Selection Committee

Member - Good Governance Project Working Party Member - Audit Risk Policy Committee

Previous employment- Manager Indoor Cricket Arenas - introducing pilot sports to lift participation

Kathryn Bailey

QUALIFICATIONS Australian Institute of Management - Young Managers Graduate Program

experience Founder and Director - Sales and Marketing at InteractSport Elected Director VicSport Elected Director Australian Sports Technologies Network

Andrew Walton

Head Coach Melbourne Cricket Club

EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Managing Director- Hareeba Enterprises Pty Ltd

Marketing and Brand Working Party

General Manager- Shaedz of Alice, Alice Springs Former President- Memorial Bowls Club, Alice Springs. State Representative- Northern Territory, 2009 – 2015

Raymond Dienelt

2015-16 Annual Report 17

Australian Squads Australian Jackaroos Women

men

Lynsey Clarke (Capt) (Club Helensvale, QLD)

Mark Casey (Club Helensvale, QLD)

Kelsey Cottrell (St Johns Park, NSW)

Max Kleinig (Holdfast Bay, SA)

Anne Johns (St Johns Park, NSW)

Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country Club, VIC)

Kristina Krstic (Manning Memorial, WA)

Raymond Pearse (Cabramatta, NSW)

Karen Murphy (VC) (Cabramatta, NSW)

Nathan Rice (Club Helensvale, QLD)

Carla Odgers (Sunbury, VIC)

Wayne Ruediger (Grange, SA)

Ellen Ryan (Cabramatta, NSW)

Aron Sherrif (Ettalong Memorial, NSW)

Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW)

Aaron Teys (Warilla, NSW)

Chloe Stewart (Broadbeach, QLD)

Brett Wilkie (VC) (Club Helensvale, QLD)

Rebecca Van Asch (Invermay, TAS)

Aaron Wilson (Clayton, VIC)

Australian Under-18 Squad girls

boys

Tiffany Brodie (VIC )

Jayden Christie (QLD) *formally VIC

Amelia Bruggy (VIC)

Joshua Corless (VIC)

Kate Matthews (NSW)

Jono Davis (NSW)

Tayla Morison (VIC)

Nic Gosley (QLD)

Taleah Putney (QLD)

Jacob Nelson (QLD)

Sophie Young (QLD)

Joshua Studham (SA)

18 2015-16 Annual Report

NTC Squad

Jesse Turnbull NTC QLD Hamilton

Jessica Hogan NTC ACT

Weston Creek

Georgia White NTC QLD Musgrave Hill

Mac McLean NTC ACT

Weston Creek

Sam White NTC QLD Paradise Point

Sarah Boddington NTC NSW Tuncurry

Robert Wild NTC QLD Club Pine Rivers

Ben Glasson NTC NSW Mt Lewis

Sophie Young NTC QLD Capalaba

Andrew Howie NTC NSW Mt Lewis

James Bodnar NTC SA

Damon Jeffery NTC NSW Mt Lewis

Breeanna Dickson NTC SA Salisbury

Billy Johnson NTC NSW Belrose

Simon Dorr NTC SA

Modbury

Mason Lewis NTC NSW Merrylands

Mark Haines NTC SA

West Lakes

Matthew Miles NTC NSW Engadine

Cassandra Harvey NTC SA Adelaide

Natalie Noronha NTC NSW Merrylands

Matthew Northcott NTC SA Adelaide

Samantha Noronha NTC NSW Merrylands

Nathan Pedersen NTC SA Ascot Park

Jesse Noronha NTC NSW Warilla Kelly Richards NTC NSW Raymond Terrace Samantha Shannahan NTC NSW Merrylands Aaron Teys NTC NSW Warilla Claire Turley NTC NSW Cabramatta Ben Twist NTC NSW St Johns Park Corey Wedlock NTC NSW Cabramatta Molly Wilton NTC NSW Raymond Terrace Jamie-Lee Worsnop NTC NSW St Johns Park

Henley

Bailey Rafferty NTC SA Salisbury Joshua Studham NTC SA

Holdfast Bay

Scott Thulborn NTC SA Adelaide Tyson Wilson NTC SA

Grange

Mitchell Banks NTC TAS New Norfolk Mikayla Fuller NTC TAS Sorell Makayla Gibson NTC TAS Penguin Bradley Gibson NTC TAS Penguin

Lucas Baker NTC NT Nightcliff

Hollie Keen NTC TAS Sheffield

Mark Malogorski NTC NT Nightcliff

Lachlan Sims NTC TAS Trevallyn

Colleen Orr NTC NT Darwin

Michael Sims NTC TAS Trevallyn

Christian Pace NTC NT Darwin

Tiffany Brodie NTC VIC

Fitzroy/Victoria

Marcus Simpson NTC NT Nightcliff

Amelia Bruggy NTC VIC

Bendigo

Shae Smith NTC NT Darwin

Jay Bye-Norris NTC VIC Essendon

Kiani Andersen NTC QLD Club Kawana

Ben Cotter NTC VIC Altona

Joel Andersen NTC QLD Club Kawana

Nathan Lynch NTC VIC

Moonee Valley

Sean Baker NTC QLD Hamilton

Troy Mansbridge NTC VIC

Bundoora RSL

Emma Brown NTC QLD Club Kawana

Dane McKinnon NTC VIC Altona

Kurt Brown NTC QLD Club Pine Rivers

Brad Orr NTC VIC Shepparton Golf

Des Cann NTC QLD Jindalee

Natasha Russell NTC VIC Clayton

Sean Ingham NTC QLD Broadbeach

Tayla Spence NTC VIC Donvale

Natasha Jones NTC QLD Bribie Island Braidan Leese NTC QLD Coolangatta Cohen Litfin NTC QLD Wellers Hill Mitchell Mears NTC QLD Algester Bolivia Millerick NTC QLD Caloundra Cassandra Millerick NTC QLD Caloundra Jacob Nelson NTC QLD Wynnum Manly Leagues

Kylie Whitehead NTC VIC

Wodonga

Nathan Wilson NTC VIC Essendon Clive Adams NTC WA Cambridge Matthew Ellul NTC WA

Manning

Lewis Grigg NTC WA Osborne Park Cameron Harris NTC WA Cambridge Shenayde Heldt NTC WA

Manning

Taleah Putney NTC QLD Gayndah

Nathan Jones NTC WA

Kardinya

Pam Rowe NTC QLD Helensvale

Cody Packer NTC WA

Bedford

Kristy Thatcher NTC QLD Tweed Heads

2015-16 Annual Report 19

Message from the Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) congratulates our National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) on their achievements this year. In particular, we congratulate all of our athletes who represented Australia in the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. You did so with great distinction. The country is proud of your commitment and dedication, and the manner in which you conducted yourself throughout the campaigns. In the aftermath of the Games, the Board of the ASC has re-committed to the core principles of Australia’s Winning Edge, the ASC’s ten year plan for high performance sport introduced in 2012. The four key principles are: high aspirations for achievement; evidence-based funding decisions; sports owning their own high performance programs; and a strong emphasis on improved leadership and governance. We are confident these principles serve the long term interests of sporting sector. We will also use the experience of the last four years to seek to improve implementation of Winning Edge in ways that will benefit the sector. The ASC is equally committed to increasing community participation in sport, particularly amongst our children and youth. We have been pleased this year to see our flagship participation program Sporting Schools reach over 4,300 schools in partnership with NSOs. Innovations by the ASC this year included the release of our Integrity Guidelines for Directors and Leaders of Sporting Organisations, which provides directors with comprehensive and practical guidance for the first time on anti-doping, sport science and medicine, illicit drugs, match-fixing, child protection and member protection – vital issues for maintaining trust and respect in the sporting sector. We also staged our inaugural Athlete and Coaches Forum, giving Australia’s elite athletes and coaches the opportunity to share their experiences and enhance their leadership capabilities. And we were delighted to see fruits of our efforts to improve female opportunity in sports, with improved elite and participation opportunities in women’s sport, better media exposure, some outstanding new commercial deals, and an increase in female representation at NSO board level from 27 per cent to a 39 per cent across the top 23 NSOs. Looking ahead, ASC priorities include: • further institutional and governance reform in sport, with an emphasis on increased national integration and alignment • increased funding for sport, including new non-government sources of funding • further embedding sport in schools’ educational programs • improved national coordination of sports infrastructure spending, and • Improved use of data and technology in sports. Reforms like this are often hard to achieve but have profound long term benefits. The evermore competitive environment in world sport on display in Rio highlights the critical importance of further reform if Australia is to maintain its proud reputation and traditions as a sporting nation. The ASC thanks all of our sector partners for your effort and contribution to Australian sport. We look forward to continued success and progress together. John Wylie AM Chair Board of the Australian Sports Commission 20 2015-16 Annual Report

Winning partnership Proudly supporting Bowls Australia The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) invests in sport at all levels in Australia. We work with Bowls Australia to ensure Australian bowls players excel in the international sporting arena whilst increasing participation in bowls. Bowls Australia is one of many national sporting organisations partnering with us to achieve Australia’s Winning Edge.

2015-16 Annual Report 21

Australian Premier League Report The third instalment of the

The APL was developed to be the

revolutionary Australian

catalyst for participation growth in

Premier League saw 24

the sport by showcasing bowls’

world class players do

highest and most credentialed

battle in the fast-paced,

players in a fresh format that would

exciting competition that has

catch the eyes of potential new

transformed bowls in Australia.

participants through an extensive

live broadcast on Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sports NZ. The exciting format has been rolled out to over 100 clubs around the country under the banner of Bowls Australia’s new participation program, Jack Attack. The format of two sets of five ends with a tie-break if necessary only takes 70 minutes to complete, providing an outlet for people with busy schedules to be initiated to bowls. After three successful editions of the APL, the sport has not only managed to shatter some of the stereotypes associated with bowls and contribute to an increase in participation across the country, but players and spectators alike have earmarked the event as one of the most exciting and coveted on the sporting calendar. APL03 hit many high points during its staging from November 10-13, 2015, with players contributing to

22 2015-16 Annual Report

Jo Edwards, Shannon McIlroy, Ali Forsyth and Coach Dave Edwards lifted the trophy on the final night in front of, what was undoubtedly, the biggest crowd seen at Club Pine Rivers. an amazing spectacle of bowls, broadcast ratings setting a new benchmark for the sport on Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sport NZ and anticipation for APL04 and beyond quickly established – so much so that plans were put in place to stage a second event annually from February 2017. The sport is lucky to have a venue as unparalleled as Club Pine Rivers to showcase the event, and Bowls Australia’s extend their thanks and appreciation to the Club’s Board and staff for their contribution to the event. APL03 saw a fitting final between two franchises who had both performed admirably across all three years of the competition; with the final consisting of international stars and a former MVP who put on a show in the blockbuster grand finale. The New Zealand Blackjacks have been one of the most dependable teams since the Australian Premier League’s inception in 2013, with a finals appearance in every instalment leading to a stunning conclusion in APL03 where Ali Forsyth played the winning shot in both the semi-final and grand-final to claim a memorable victory for the Kiwi contingent. Jo Edwards, Shannon McIlroy, Ali Forsyth and Coach Dave Edwards lifted the trophy on the final night in front of, what was undoubtedly, the biggest crowd seen at Club Pine Rivers. It was unfortunately a case of once a bridesmaid, twice a bridesmaid, now unbelievably three times a bridesmaid for the Adelaide

Endurance as they fell at that final hurdle again in APL03.

There was no doubt Aaron Wilson was a revelation in APL03; his commitment to entertain was evident during the live broadcast matches, however his pure ability was just as entertaining

Wayne Ruediger, Scott Thulborn and their newest recruit Max Kleinig were unable to break the silver-streak hoodoo; however they still walked away $20,000 richer and returned home to a very proud state of South Australia, a state in which their results on the national stage continue to go from strength to strength.

The Melbourne Roys qualified for their first finals appearance; however they weren’t able to achieve the outcome they had hoped for, bowing out to the eventual winners in the semi-final. The Roys put their franchise on the map as one of the tournament’s most entertaining team and put other franchises on notice as a team which could pillage the trophy in the years to come. There was no doubt Aaron Wilson was a revelation in APL03; his commitment to entertain was evident during the live broadcast matches, however his pure ability was just as entertaining and has since earned him a position in

Australia’s 2016 World Bowls Championships team. The Gold Coast Hawks had the star-studded line-up consisting of powerhouse Australian Jackaroos Brett Wilkie, Mark Casey and Nathan Rice; however they succumbed to the Roys in the elimination final, despite a performance from Mark Casey which secured him the prestigious APL03 MVP award. Defending champions Murray Steamers were among a few teams hovering just outside the top four - a gallant effort from a franchise who was missing their main man, the world’s best bowler Alex Marshall MBE. Ryan Bester, the two-time Australian Male Bowler of the Year, Safuan Said, a former world number one, and local Moama 2015-16 Annual Report 23

Moving forward, there are some big changes in store for the Premier League - including a second event, a name change and the addition of a female player in each team. BPL04 at Club Pine Rivers and BPL05 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Bowling Club star Michael Walker were unable to put the Murray Steamers in the winner’s circle in consecutive APLs but with a tiebreak or two falling in their favour we would have seen them back in the finals. The Sydney Lions came agonisingly close to their first finals appearance, only to have their final sectional match snatched away from them in the dying stages. Ben Twist was a revelation for the Lions in 2015, joining their stars Aron Sherriff and Steve Glasson OAM in a franchise that is building towards great things in future events. The Perth Suns had the tough task of replacing former Northern Irish international Jeremy Henry for APL03, who traded in his tangerine strip for a maroon guernsey when he joined local franchise Brisbane Gold.

The Suns, who finished equal fifth in APL03, retained the services of Clive Adams and Thomas Mitchell and added another Western Australian state skipper Matt Ellul to their line-up. No one would have predicted APL01 champions Brisbane Gold to finish last in the competition and certainly not by the margin they did with the likes of Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kelvin Kerkow, Warilla’s Jeremy Henry and Queensland representative Alex Murtagh in their corner. Moving forward, there are some big changes in store for the Premier League - including a second event, a name change and the addition of a female player in each team. The Australian Premier League has been rebranded the Bowls Premier League and in the space of four months will offer $200,000 in prize money across two competitions,

After three successful editions of the APL, the sport has not only managed to shatter some of the stereotypes associated with bowls but also contributed to an increase in participation across the country. 24 2015-16 Annual Report

The introduction of a mandatory female in every side will see eight of the world’s most elite female bowlers joining forces with 16 world-class male players in what will create history for the sport of bowls. BPL04 will be held at Club Pine Rivers from November 8 to 11, with five hours of live Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sports broadcast each night. BPL05 is set to be staged at North Shore Events Centre, the home of the New Zealand Breakers, and Sunnybrae Bowling Club, from February 27 to March 2.

We know health and wellbeing like you know kitties and chocks Enhance your lifestyle. Join a free health and wellbeing session today. www.rdnshomecare.com.au/community

In partnership with:

Participation Report

Read some of the success stories from this year below:

Manning Bowling Club honour two dedicated volunteers Partners Kate Douthie and Matthew Mitchell have been acknowledged by the Manning Bowling Club for their outstanding work running a wonderfully successful Jack Attack program. Kate Douthie and Matthew Mitchell were recently honoured by receiving Manning Bowling Club’s, Club Persons of the Year award for their wonderful work crafting and running the country’s most successful Jack Attack program.

Congratulations to all on another successful year in participation. The headline act is a further increase in regular participants from 602,787 to a staggering 623,281. The popularity of bowls is ever increasing; this is largely due to the new faster and exciting formats of the game which are attracting new people to our sport. Over the past year there have been a number of success stories published which highlight bowling clubs’ great work in attracting new members, increasing bar trade as a result of bringing new people through the doors more regularly, increased gaming revenue and more meals being purchased than ever before; these successes wouldn’t be possible without the tireless work of the Regional Bowls Managers forging strong relationships with clubs and implementing change.

26 2015-16 Annual Report

For a program that started quite small in its first season, Douthie and Mitchell continued to promote Jack Attack and by the third season, Jack Attack had grown extensively, attracting 22 teams and creating plenty of atmosphere around the club which resulted in participants making repeat visits. Over the course of the three seasons, Jack Attack has brought in over 70 new social members to the Manning Memorial Club and has given existing club members the opportunity to support their club’s endeavours to grow. Jack Attack players are keen to attend the club throughout the week, whether it is just to enjoy the facilities, maybe sneak out for a bit of practice to be ready for the next Jack Attack session; however,

of course the main thing is that these new faces are engaged with the club and have a greater appreciation of the sport. Kate and Matt have an extensive database of contact details of everyone who has participated over the course of three years, so when the warmer months roll around again, they can get in touch with these people, and get another great season up and running.

Over the past year there have been a number of success stories published which highlight bowling clubs’ great work in attracting new members, increasing bar trade as a result of bringing new people through the doors more regularly.

Kate trail blazed in the initial running of the program, especially in Western Australia and given that the Manning Bowls Club did not have a thriving social competition upon which to draw from; her dedication and hard work has not only drawn new people to the club, but encouraged a change of stereotypical attitudes toward bowls. Building on the marketing materials provided by Bowls Australia, using Social Media to promote to friends, and encouraging others to do the same, it didn’t take long for Jack Attack to be a success. Manning Bowls Club offered great meals at competitive prices, as well as inviting local businesses to set up stalls from time to time; the atmosphere at the club was vibrant to say the least and the local community was now well aware of the warm hospitality and great facilities they would find at their local bowls club. With Kate doing most of the planning and behind the scenes work, and Matt doing a great job facilitating on game nights, the pairs’ enthusiasm and personalities are ideal for the Jack Attack concept. “It didn’t take long for everyone to get the hang of it all,” Kate said.

“After a couple of weeks, the teams arrive, grab their cards and head out for some practice before the game starts and everything runs smoothly.

“Matt and Kate took the ball and ran with it; they were keen to get something started and knew that a participation program would help improve all areas of the club.

“They all know what they are doing because they are regular participants or they have been invited along with someone who has already tried their hand at Jack Attack.”

“Once you do that, you give it a chance to grow, and that’s exactly what’s happened here.”

Manning is now seeing larger numbers attending coaching sessions, they have gained interest from people simply walking past the club, seeing what is going on and just wanting to get involved. “The key to Manning’s success here was the willingness to start small and let this program grow,” said Bowls Australia’s WA Regional Bowls Manager Clive Adams.

Congratulations once again to Matt Mitchell and Kate Douthie, Manning Bowls Club’s Club Persons of the Year.

Club Mount Lewis – Sydney: Jack Attack Club Mount Lewis is situated in Greenacre Sydney and is the home of the APL franchise the mighty Sydney Lions. Mount Lewis has approximately 200 bowling members as well as over 3000 social members. 2015-16 Annual Report 27

The popularity of bowls is ever increasing; this is largely due to the new faster and exciting formats of the game which are attracting new people to our sport. The club has always had a barefoot bowls program and regularly incorporates shorter versions of the game into their Twilight Thursday evenings during the daylight savings period. However, Club Mount Lewis saw an enhanced way to promote the bowls section of their clubs facilities to their social members and attract more people to have a go at Lawn Bowls by utilising the Jack Attack format and principles. Pre Jack AttackClub Mount Lewis, due to the demographics of its location had always struggled to make their barefoot bowls program successful, although this year has been their best year yet. 28 2015-16 Annual Report

The club ran twilight events during summer and had a group of loyal members participating occasionally. Once Jack Attack was introduced the club began an advertising campaign to entice individuals and teams to sign up to play. During Jack Attack• 58 people signed up and they consistently had 12 teams playing each week • 30% of entrants had never put a bowl down before • Individuals were placed into teams if needed as well as teams opting to nominate their three players to participate • The club charged each person $5 per week to play in a six week competition (A total of $30.00 for the six weeks) • The competition was run under a point scoring system, with points awarded for attendance, winning a set and winning a match • All entry fees were reimbursed as prize money with weekly

prizes of club vouchers given to a winning and losing team each week. • At the conclusion of the six weeks, the top five point scoring individuals were given prize money with the top three also receiving a small trophy • Each week the Bowls Coordinator would run through the rules and supply bowls to all those who needed them and music would played across the green(s) in use Club Mount Lewis knew that to attract new players Jack Attack had to be fun and light hearted; with teams allowed to use substitutes and power plays, Jack Attack ensured people enjoyed their experience. The club also instigated a Thursday evening meal deal to coincide with Jack Attack to showcase the bistro and other areas of the club. Those who were not members signed up as social members to take advantage of Club Mount Lewis’ discounts and benefits and were kept informed about upcoming Jack Attack events.

Bowls goes on attack Katherine Bowls Club in the Northern Territory is attracting new members through Bowls Australia’s national participation program Jack Attack. Bowls will become a lot faster and thrilling when Katherine Bowls Club introduces the popular Jack Attack social competition, as reported by the Katherine Times. Jack Attack is a modified version of the traditional game in which competitors play 10 ends and can call upon ‘power plays’ to boost their score. Katherine Bowls Club President Bronwyn Chandler said the game attempted to prove that bowls was not as hard as most people thought it was. “It can be a challenging game, but Jack Attack is all about having fun and is perfect for people of any age or ability,” Chandler explained. “Jack Attack is like taking test cricket and making it Twenty20 to make it fun and more exciting.” Mrs Chandler said the competition would take on a barefoot bowls format and urged businesses and community groups to get a team together for their next competition. “Jack Attack bowls is for new players and those who want to have a bit of fun on the green,” she said. “Get yourself and two mates together and form a team by registering with the Katherine Country Club. “It’s going to be fast and a really great social event for the community to participate in.” Jack Attack resembles the revolutionary Australian Premier League and is now being conducted in over 120 bowling clubs across the country.

Sporting Schools and Jr. Jack Attack Jr. Jack Attack is infiltrating the primary school system with impressive results, often providing young children with their first opportunity to experience the sport of Lawn Bowls. The Sporting Schools Program is an initiative by the Australian Sports Commission and Jr. Jack Attack was created by Bowls Australia to work in conjunction with Sporting Schools to spark interest about bowls for students in Australian primary schools. This partnership has provided a new avenue for our sport to be introduced to primary-aged school children as part of the school’s curriculum. One of the great success stories to originate from the Sporting Schools Program this term has come from St Patrick’s Primary School in Pakenham, located in the outer South-East of Melbourne. St Patricks had no hesitation of jumping on board when hearing what the Jr. Jack Attack kit had to offer; an all abilities game that

The user-friendly activity cards and a mixture of games for the kids means Jr. Jack Attack can be conducted in the schools with ease. can be played on any surface and many different levels of difficulty that could even challenge those with the highest athletic ability. Jessica Anastasi, the teacher from St Patricks applied for the Sporting Schools funding, scheduled initial sessions at her school and was glowing in her praise. “All the sessions were really interactive and the activities were easy to follow.” said Anastasi. Jessica, a general primary school teacher, appreciated that the activities were easy for teachers to set up, simple to follow and addressed a wide range of fundamental skills. Using their Sporting Schools funding, St Patricks purchased two Jr. Jack Attack kits and fifteen hours of coaching over three days. 2015-16 Annual Report 29

As an added bonus, Bowls Australia provide schools that purchase two kits a bonus scoring wedge; these are just as popular as the kits themselves. St Patricks received their free scoring wedge and the students loved it so much they then purchased another three. Local coaches from Pakenham and Narre Warren Bowls Clubs were happy to get involved and support the initiative. The coaches registered online through the Sporting Schools website, and as a result they were added to a list of coaches for our third party coach provider, Coach Approach. Bowls Australia’s Sporting Schools Participation Co-ordinator, Mim Waterman was there for the kick off on Monday morning and was very impressed with what she saw. “It was such a successful day, our coaches Arthur and Steve had not seen a Jr. Jack Attack kit before and therefore had little experience; however, due to the easy-to-read activity cards and their natural feel for the game, they were able to get the kids enthusiastic about bowls and having fun pretty quickly,” said Waterman. “I think they’re even learning and enjoying it as much as the children were which was fantastic to see.” Encouraging schools to use their funding to purchase Jr. Jack Attack kits has a very big upside; the kits, when left at the school, leave a legacy for the schools to carry on participating in Lawn Bowls. The user-friendly activity cards and a mixture of games for the kids means Jr. Jack Attack can be conducted in the schools with ease. 30 2015-16 Annual Report

Now that St Patricks have two kits and four wedges, we know the students will continue to have great experiences and associate Lawn Bowls as a fun sport for kids to play.

Coaching and Officiating In other participation initiatives, our coaching and officiating programs have been reviewed and updated to ensure they are best practice. The dedication and experience of Peter Hanlon has been a real strength of Bowls Australia this year and we thank him for his contribution, along with the army of volunteers that assist us at all our major events. Volunteer committees are the backbone of Australian sport and in particular the committees that support participation are our National Coaching Advisory Group and our National Officiating Advisory Group.

National Coaching Advisory Group Steven Glasson Jaewyn Norton Greg Bostock Julia Walsh Peter Hanlon (Convenor) Gary Willis

National Officiating Advisory Group John Roberts (Chair) Andrew Lynn Pam Hockings John Dawson Peter Hanlon (Convenor) Sandy Wallace Bob Carlson Ian Irvine

If your club would like any assistance, RBMs are only too happy to help, and best of all, the service is completely free of charge. Bowls Australia extends their thanks to all members of the advisory groups that assist the development of our sport. All the members give their time and expertise to ensure the sport will be enjoyed for years to come. Bowls Australia is also thankful for the support of the Australian Sports Commission, who each year invests in the sport of bowls knowing the benefits it provides to the Australian community. The ASC program, Sporting Schools, has also been instrumental in our success in showcasing the sport of bowls to younger generations. Our sincere thanks to all Regional Bowls Managers, proficiently led by Team Leaders Clive Adams (South) and Chris Wallace (North). In the office, the support of Danielle Montague and National Participation Manager Garry Dillon ensures RBM’s are well placed to be successful into the future. If your club would like any assistance, RBMs are only too happy to help, and best of all, the service is completely free of charge. If your clubs wishes to join the wave of clubs that are providing a great experience for new participants, increasing their membership and improving their business, please contact your Regional Bowls Manager for detail which can be found via www. bowlsaustralia.com.au.

2015-16 Annual Report 31

Regional Bowls Manager program

Bowls Australia’s Regional Bowls Managers (RBM) have worked diligently over this period, resulting in numerous successes for the RBM Program and clubs nationwide.

is now being run in 126 clubs across the country with successes such as the Manning Bowls Club in Perth averaging over 90

This extends to those not only in

upon by an increased number of

participants per night, with many

the field but also to our office staff

clubs nationwide embracing the

of those bowlers becoming playing

who support them on a daily basis.

RBM program with remarkable

members.

The past year has seen our

results.

The Sporting Schools Program

community-based employees

During this period, there was a

cover more than 700,000km and

sharp increase in the participation

make over 7000 visits to clubs,

of bowls in Australia, with 623,281

regions, schools and government

participants engaging in the sport

organisations.

on a regular basis.

Their ability to connect clubs with

Jack Attack, Bowls Australia’s

Jack Attack program as an activity

the community has been seized

national participation product,

in schools.

32 2015-16 Annual Report

is the Australian Sports Commission’s major focus for funding sports participation with school-aged children, which promotes Bowls Australia’s Jr.

The past year has seen our community-based employees cover more than 700,000km and make over 7000 visits to clubs, regions, schools and government organisations. One important aspect of this product is the legacy it leaves with the schools, with bowls equipment able to be utilised by schools and children for many years to come. During this timeframe, a new staff member commenced in the Schools and Social Coordinator role, charged with taking control of the shorter format games in which Bowls Australia is actively introducing into schools and clubs. This will help in the coming years with Bowls Australia’s push toward the fast-paced, fun formats which enhance the participation experience, in particular for newer bowlers, at a club level.

who regularly sought out his expertise on a wide range of topics; he is a member of the sport’s National Development Advisory Panel, charged with providing strategic guidance and direction to the program. Chris was also appointed as one of two Team Leaders of the RBM program along with Western Australia’s Clive Adams. Bowls Australia also expresses its thanks to the many volunteers and staff at clubs who embrace the RBM program and make Regional Bowls Managers their first point of call when they are looking to implement change or seek advice. The acceptance at club, zone, regional and district levels has been highlighted by the numerous success stories read in State and Territory magazines, newsletters and websites and we hope to further highlight the sport’s success in the future.

Three new Regional Bowls Managers also joined the program to cover Central and Northern Queensland as well as a second Western Australian RBM. This extra coverage will see Bowls Australia have a presence at all clubs across the nation for the first time.

Schools are able to select bowls as a sport to participate in during a term through Jr. Jack Attack, with the cost of purchasing equipment and coaching resources covered by the ASC’s Sporting Schools, and has now been run in over 200 schools nationwide. A significant amount of work went into the development of the Jr. Jack Attack kits, the coaching resources, which are now available online, and the lesson plans, which now fall in line with expectations of the national curriculum.

The 2014/15 Regional Bowls Manager of the year was Chris Wallace, who covers the Sydney based clubs in NSW. Wallace has been a marvellous addition to the Bowls Australia team, conducting over 400 club visits and building a strong rapport and awareness of the 161 clubs that he services, which included assisting them to obtain $110,000 worth of grants during the selection criteria period. Renowned for going above and beyond in his role, Wallace also played an unofficial support role to other RBMs,

The 2014/15 Regional Bowls Manager of the year was Chris Wallace, who covers the Sydney based clubs in NSW. 2015-16 Annual Report 33

High Performance Report The Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association continue to support Bowls Australia’s elite high-performance program generously through financial and other necessary resources, enabling the organisation to continue to lead the way on the sport’s international stage.

34 2015-16 Annual Report

Similarly, Board Directors, management and staff from all areas of BA, and State and Territory Associations, continue to contribute to and support the ongoing endeavours of the highperformance program, its players and personnel.

Bowls Australia would specifically like to acknowledge the assistance and funding provided by the Australian Commonwealth

Games Association to Bowls Australia for athletes in the “Gold Coast GOLD” 2018 program. The Gold Coast GOLD program was devised by the ACGA to maximise podium performances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and assist athletes who are expected to be nominated for selection to the 2018 Australian Team.

The Gold Coast GOLD program was devised by the ACGA to maximise podium performances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and assist athletes who are expected to be nominated for selection to the 2018 Australian Team. NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE PROGRAM The National Training Centre Program continues to develop each year thanks to the tireless work of BA’s five NTC Coaches, in particular, but also courtesy of the outstanding contribution the program receives from the following organisations: • Bowls NSW • Bowls SA

2015-16 AUSTRALIAN JACKAROOS SQUAD In the aftermath of the 2015 Australian Open on the Gold Coast, Bowls Australia’s national selection panel entrusted 20 athletes with inclusion into the sport’s top high performance tier for the following 12 months, with a healthy infusion of young blood and experienced hands set to reenergise the team ahead of the 2016 World Bowls Championships.

• Bowls Tasmania • Bowls Victoria • Cabramatta Bowls Club • Women’s Bowls NSW High-performance staff members Faye Luke (SA/NT NTC Coach & Jackaroos Manager), Therese Hastings (WA NTC Coach), Mark

Cowan (VIC/TAS NTC Coach), Brett Wilkie (QLD NTC COACH), Gary Willis (NSW/ACT NTC Coach & Assistant National Coach) and Peter Brown (High-Performance Coordinator) should all be congratulated and thanked for their efforts over the past 12 months in delivering the national program and guiding their respective squad members and potential future stars in the right direction. By virtue of their role, the NTC Coaches are unsung heroes in the field, putting in the hard yards day after day by guiding and nurturing up-and-coming players through development phases until such time as they rewarded with Jackaroos selection and handed on to others to share in the glory of their success.

Recently crowned Australian Open singles champion Ellen Ryan headlined a list of six Australian Jackaroos debutants, which also included Western Australia’s dual under-25 world champion Kristina Krstic, Victorian capped Australian player Chloe Stewart, former Australian Open singles winner Aaron Wilson, South Australian state male bowler of the year Max Kleinig and 2012 NSW state singles champion Ray Pearse.

2015-16 Annual Report 35

WORLD BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS PREPARATION AND SELECTION Australia is currently the number one ranked nation in the world for both male and female competitions, however this coveted standing will put to the test in late 2016 at the sport’s pinnacle event, the World Bowls Championships. The Australian Jackaroos will be presented with the opportunity to defend their ranking position, and unheralded five gold and two silver individual medals from 2012, when the competition takes place in Christchurch, New Zealand from November 29 to December 11, 2016. The Australian Jackaroos team selected to compete in the 2016 World Bowls Championships are:

Women: Singles - Karen Murphy (Cabramatta, NSW) Pairs - Kelsey Cottrell (St Johns Park, NSW) & Karen Murphy Triples - Carla Krizanic (Sunbury, VIC), Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW) & Rebecca Van Asch (Invermay, TAS) Fours - Carla Krizanic, Rebecca Van Asch, Natasha Scott & Kelsey Cottrell

men: Singles - Aron Sherriff (Ettalong Memorial, NSW) Pairs - Brett Wilkie (Club Helensvale, QLD) & Aaron Wilson (Clayton, VIC) Triples - Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country Club, VIC), Mark Casey (Club Helensvale, QLD) & Aron Sherriff Fours - Barrie Lester, Brett Wilkie, Aaron Wilson & Mark Casey

Support staff will include – Faye Luke (Team Manager), Mark McMahon (Sports Psychologist/ Coach), Beth Quinlan (Selector), Dave Stockham (Selector), Gary Willis (National Assistant Coach), Peter Brown (High-Performance Coordinator) and Steve Glasson (National Coach). The World Bowls Championships is considered one of two top-tier benchmark events on the international bowls calendar. The other equivalent event is the Commonwealth Games. Preparations are also well advanced for the next Commonwealth Games staging, which will occur on home soil on the Gold Coast in 2018. The Jackaroos squad has endured a robust and at times gruelling training and preparation regime to be considered for World Bowls Championships selection over the past 12 months, which has included:

• Daily, weekly, monthly, annual expectations in training and commitment • Jackaroos training camps • Trans Tasman Test Series • 6 Nations Invitational • Asia Pacific Championships • Australia v Scotland Test Series

SPORT AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME HONOURS Another significant benefit for the High-Performance program was the acceptance of Australian Jackaroo Ellen Ryan into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Mentoring Program. Ellen received many benefits including air travel, supporting funds and most significantly, mentoring from Australian Swimming Icon, Dawn Fraser AO MBE.

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS ATTAINED DURING 2015/16 The last 12 months has continued to be fruitful for Australia on the green. Some of the many highlights include:

2015 Commonwealth Youth Games - Samoa Singles: Jono Davis Ellen Ryan Mixed Pairs: Ellen Ryan & Jono Davis

2015 Merdeka International – Malaysia Singles: Dawn Hayman Ben Twist Mixed Fours: Dawn Hayman, Bolivia Millerick, Ben Twist & Scott Thulborn

2015 Hong Kong Invitational Classic - HKC Women’s Pairs: Kristina Krstic & Karen Murphy

Men’s Pairs: Nathan Pedersen & Corey Wedlock

2015 Asia Pacific Championships – Christchurch, NZ Women’s Singles: Karen Murphy

gold

silver

bronze

Men’s Singles: Aron Sherriff Women’s Pairs: Kelsey Cottrell & Karen Murphy Men’s Pairs: Ray Pearse & Nathan Rice Women’s Triples: Carla Krizanic, Anne Johns & Natasha Scott Men’s Triples: Wayne Ruediger, Mark Casey & Aron Sherriff Women’s Fours: Carla Krizanic, Kelsey Cottrell, Anne Johns & Natasha Scott Men’s Fours: Wayne Ruediger, Ray Pearse, Nathan Rice & Mark Casey

2015-16 Annual Report 37

In the aftermath of the 2015 Australian Open on the Gold Coast, Bowls Australia’s national selection panel entrusted 20 athletes with inclusion into the sport’s top high performance tier for the following 12 months.

2016 World Junior Championships – Broadbeach, QLD Women’s Singles: Ellen Ryan Dawn Hayman Natasha Jones Men’s Singles: Aaron Wilson Sean Ingham Corey Wedlock Mixed Pairs: Ellen Ryan & Aaron Teys Dawn Hayman & Aaron Wilson

2016 World Cup – Warilla, NSW Women’s Singles: Carla Krizanic Men’s Singles: Jeremy Henry

2016 World Champion of Champions – Helensvale, QLD

2016 Six Nations Invitational – Christchurch, NZ

2016 Trans Tasman – Christchurch, NZ

Women’s Singles:

Overall Open Division winners Australia

Karen Murphy Men’s Singles: Aron Sherriff Kelsey Cottrell & Karen Murphy

Australia v Scotland Test Series – Broadbeach, QLD

Men’s Pairs:

Overall Series Winner – Australia

Barrie Lester & Nathan Rice

The feature events over the past 12 months includes –

Women’s Pairs:

Women’s Triples: Carla Krizanic, Lynsey Clarke & Natasha Scott

• Asia Pacific Games

Men’s Triples:

• 6 Nations (all of which were hosted and conducted in Christchurch, NZ)

Ray Pearse, Brett Wilkie & Aron Sherriff

Women’s Singles:

Men’s Fours:

Katrina Wright

Wayne Ruediger, Barrie Lester, Mark Casey & Nathan Rice

Men’s Singles:

38 2015-16 Annual Report

Overall Development winners Australia

• Trans Tasman

Australia featured prominently as outlined above and now looks forward to the ultimate challenge, the World Championships.

IT’S NOT CHANGE

IT’S EVOLUTION PROUD APPAREL PARTNER OF BOWLS AUSTRALIA

BLKSPORT.COM #beyondlimitsknown

2015-16 Annual Report 39

Events & Competition Report 2015 Australian Indoor Championships – Tweed Heads BC, NSW The 2015 Australian Indoor Championships were again held at the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, hosting 32 men and 32 women for the pinnacle Indoor event for the nation. Former World Champion & Northern Ireland International Jeremy Henry was dominant on the Tweed Heads carpet all week, getting the upper hand over his Warilla club mate Aaron Teys in the semi-final, before defeating NZ Blackjack Paul Girdler in a world class final. In the women’s competition we witnessed an all Australian Jackaroo final, with Carla Krizanic (nee Odgers) knocking out defending champion, NSW’s Jamie Lee Worsnop in the semi-final, then edging out Australian Jackaroos Captain Lynsey Clarke in a thrilling finish. All of the semi-finals and finals were lived streamed throughout Australia. The 2015 Australian Indoor Champions each took home 90 national ranking points and a $6000 winners cheque.

2015 Australian Champion of Champions – Coolum Beach BC, QLD The 2015 Australian Champion of Champions was held on the Sunshine Coast, at the fantastic Coolum Beach Bowls Club where spectators came in their droves. In the men’s event, South Australiansuperstar Scott Thulborn

40 2015-16 Annual Report

The Under-18 championships are always hotly contested considering Australia’s best young talent is on show.

reigned supreme and created history by winning back-to-back titles. Impressively, Thulborn was the only undefeated player winning all seven matches with a shot difference of +75. NSW State Champion and Japanese representative Kenta Treacher claimed silver by winning six out of seven games. It was an exciting finish to the women’s event with Australian Jackaroos Natasha Scott and Rebecca Van Asch both winning all but one of their games, the title was decided on shot difference and it was NSW’s Natasha Scott with six wins +39 taking gold from Tasmania’s only World Champion Rebecca Van Asch on six wins +37. It has to be said congratulations to all 4 players on a fantastic tournament.

2015 Australian U18 Championships – Tuggeranong Valley BC, ACT The brightest young stars in the sport took to the greens in the Nation’s Capital at the remarkable Tuggeranong Bowls Club. The Under18 championships are always hotly

contested considering Australia’s best young talent is on show. In the girls’ competition, Queensland was ultraimpressive winning three out of the four gold medals up for grabs. QLD won gold in the singles, triples and fours and therefore were runaway winners of the overall trophy. The Queensland boys were not to be outdone, winning the fours and claiming silver in both the singles and triples; enough to secure them the overall. It is fantastic to see the amount of young bowlers enjoying their time on the greens and congratulations to the 12 bowlers selected in the Australian Under18 Squad at the conclusion of the tournament.

2015 Australian Premier League 03 (APL) – Club Pine Rivers, QLD Club Pine Rivers was again the host venue for the third instalment of the Australian Premier League, and again we were not disappointed. The APL was introduced to attract new bowlers to our sport with a fast and exciting format showing a different side to our game. APL has generated fantastic interest from all over the country which has seen 126 bowling clubs sign up

to Jack Attack. The APL03 event was arguably the best to date, with huge crowds and the most enthralling matches we have witnessed. The final between the NZ Blackjacks and the Adelaide Endurance will no doubt go down as one of the most entertaining bowls matches of all time. On the back of some pure brilliance from a former World Champion Ali Forsyth, the Blackjacks were crowned 2015 Champions and shared in the $40,000 first prize. The team from NZ was Jo Edwards, the first female winner of the APL, Shannon McIlroy, Ali Forsyth and they were coached by Dave Edwards. The Adelaide Endurance have finished runner up in all three years, a great effort; but will APL04 be Adelaide’s year? The MVP for APL03 was awarded to Gold Coast Hawks’ Mark Casey.

2016 Australian Sides Championships – Queanbeyan RSL Memorial BC & Queanbeyan BC, ACT The Queanbeyan RSL Memorial Bowls Club and Queanbeyan Bowls Club won the rights to host teams from 2015-16 Annual Report 41

The 2015 Australian Indoor Championships were again held at the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, hosting 32 men and 32 women for the pinnacle Indoor event for the nation each state and territory for the annual Australian Sides Championships. In the men’s event, we saw a new winner, with Victoria winning their first Alley Shield since 2002. The youthful Victorian team combined well and played brilliantly to win all seven games; remarkably they broke a 13 year dominance by powerhouse states NSW and Queensland in winning the Alley Shield. In the women’s competition, a dominant NSW side won their fifth consecutive Marj Morris Trophy, this victory gave NSW overall victory for the 5th time in the past 6 years. Former Australian Jackaroo Matt Flapper (VIC) and Australian star Karen Murphy (NSW) were the skips of the best performed rinks of the championships.

2016 Australia vs Scotland Series Gold Coast, QLD It was fantastic to host two powerhouse nations on the very greens

42 2015-16 Annual Report

they will compete on during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Broadbeach Bowls Club provided the perfect battle ground for the world’s best bowlers, 10 men and 10 women from each country, all vying for a position in their respective World Championship teams. With so much on the line the quality of games was simply amazing and full credit to the Broadbeach Bowling Club who produced world class greens despite the Gold Coast receiving over 100mil of rain the day before play commenced. Australia was too good for Scotland on home greens; however, the Scots got some revenge in the final two matches of the series. The highlight of the event was the staging of the first ever International Jack Attack matches filmed for The Bowls Show. Two APL style matches concluded what was already a fantastic international series with the likes of Alex Marshall MBE, Paul Foster, Aron Sherriff and Karen Murphy competing in front of the bustling crowd packed in to witness history.

2016 Australian Open – Gold Coast, QLD The 2016 Australian Open was held across bowling clubs all over the stunning Gold Coast for the second year after relocating the event from Victoria in 2015. A total of 14 clubs were contracted as host clubs for the event and did a fantastic job providing just under 2000 participants with great facilities and wonderful hospitality. The prize money in 2016 increased to a quarter of a million dollars making it the world’s largest bowls event both in prize money and participation. The finals of the Men’s & Women’s Singles & Pairs were broadcast live on FoxSports, and the finals of the Under-18s and Over-60s events were televised on a secondary TV rink to feature on The Bowls Show (SBS and SBS on Demand). Overall the participants increased by 11.5% from 2015, which is an outstanding result for Bowls Australia. All 14 host clubs need to be congratulated on their work and effort they put into ensuring the Australian Open remains the world biggest bowls festival.

Communications & Marketing Report Bowls Australia’s Communications and Marketing team worked diligently over this 12-month period to generate promotion for the sport at all levels and ensure audiences were engaged with regular content. The National Brand and Marketing Working Party continued to play an important role in prioritising initiatives that would benefit all levels of Bowls in Australia, and the organisation’s appreciation must be expressed to the State and Territory Association staff and Board Directors that make up this strategic working party. Arguably the most effective opportunity Bowls Australia have to engage with non-bowlers and bowlers alike is through the organisation’s broadcast offering, which reached new heights during the 2015/16 financial year, courtesy of a new free-to-air broadcast partnership with SBS and record-breaking subscription TV ratings for the sport’s made-for-television event – the Australian Premier League. The team also made a concerted effort to establishing vision to market the sport’s newest participation products, Jack Attack and Jr. Jack Attack, and leverage the interest and awareness of the $250,000 Australian Open.

44 2015-16 Annual Report

The Bowls Show One of the major marketing initiatives to occur during this period was the return of bowls to free-to-air television after a fouryear hiatus, in the form of the weekly The Bowls Show program, which aired on SBS, SBS On Demand and Fox Sports Australia. Bowls Australia and SBS partnered to bring the sport back

Arguably the most effective opportunity Bowls Australia have to engage with non-bowlers and bowlers alike is through the organisation’s broadcast offering, which reached new heights during the 2015/16 financial year. to the masses with an hour-long magazine-style program, which also featured highlights of the sport’s marquee events, every Sunday afternoon, in a 1.00pm timeslot on SBS. The show commenced on May 15 and ran for 20 consecutive weeks until September 25, with Jack Heverin in the hosting role, alongside some of the sport’s most recognisable talent, including Karen Murphy, Steve Glasson and Kelsey Cottrell. The program continued to evolve and improve each week, as the ratio of human-interest information to match-content was balanced, and the feedback received from both bowls aficionados and non-converted audiences were very positive and we’re hopeful of brokering another agreement to extend the show for further seasons.

Australian Premier League The APL provides an exciting and unappalled opportunity to engage with general sporting enthusiasts, due to the appeal of the live Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sport NZ broadcast component. More than 20 hours of bowls vision was shown live over the four nights of the competition, with additional replays shown in both Australia and New Zealand, and the viewership ratings for the third staging of the event proved to be best yet, surpassing even the inaugural tournament in both average audiences and total reach. From a marketing perspective, it was also endearing

to see our neighbours across the ditch, the New Zealand Blackjack team, hoist the silverware, especially with Jo Edwards as the event’s first female champion. The Australian Premier League is set for some big changes prior to its next staging, including a name change, an additional event and the inclusion of a female player in each team moving forward. The event has been renamed the Bowls Premier League, due to the addition of a second annual $100,000 event in New Zealand from February 27 to March 2, 2017 – which will ensure that the competition remains a cornerstone of the sport’s broadcast offering into the future.

2015-16 Annual Report 45

Bowls Australia invested in the staging of two vision-shoots to capture and produce content that could be utilised by the national and state bodies, in addition to clubs, to promote social bowls

Australian Open The 2016 Australian Open capped off the end to this 2015/16 financial year period in spectacular style. The 14-day, 2,000 competitor event is an extensive task to cover from a Communication reporting perspective, but the national personnel charged with role excelled yet again, and participant entry numbers increased by almost 12% from the previous year, which goes a way to vindicating the marketing approach too.

Jack Attack and Jr. Jack Attack Bowls Australia have a comprehensive archive of images and vision from national and international events over numerous years, but there was a clear need for imagery and footage to promote the sport’s social formats and participation programs. As a result, Bowls Australia invested in the staging of two visionshoots to capture and produce content that could be utilised by the national and state bodies, in addition to clubs, to promote social bowls, and more specifically Jack Attack and Jr. Jack Attack. These shoots resulted in hundreds of professionally shot photographs and hours of video, which have also been turned into vision clips of various lengths including television commercial friendly 15-second and 30-second cuts, and integrated into our broadcast offerings and marketing collateral.

46 2015-16 Annual Report

Regular pre-event and daily during-event e-newsletters, web stories, social media posts and media releases achieved the dual objectives of publicising important competitor information and capturing the essence of the event in exciting and digestible content. The icing on the cake was again the two-day live Fox Sports broadcast of four finals, but the frosting was made especially sweet this year, with the addition of eight episodes of match content appearing on The Bowls Show, providing an outlet for every bowler across the country to enjoy the 2016 Australian Open.

SUITE 8, 14 GEORGE STREET • WARILLA NSW 2528 NSW VIC Q LD

PO BOX 500 WA R I L L A N SW 2 5 2 8 PO BOX 497 ALTONA VIC 3 01 8 PO BOX 392 WEST BURLEIGH QLD 4 2 1 9

Domina-BCIB’s Bowling Club Insurance Programme will help ensure the long-term viability of your business by helping protect your club against risk while giving you peace of mind, so that you can focus on running your business and looking after your members and guests.

Our Bowling Club Insurance Programmes include cover for: • • • • • • • • •

Property for building and contents Theft and burglary Business interruption Loss of money Public and Products Liability Professional Indemnity Management Liability Cyber Protection Breakdown of electrical and electronic equipment

• • • •

Personal Accident for bowlers Personal accident for volunteers Motor vehicle/Landlords property/Strata Life and Income protection/Key person insurance • Workers Compensation

Contact the Domina-BCIB Team today: NSW QLD VIC/TAS/SA WA

02 4255 2855 0400 767 837 0404 086 621 0417 422 008

Paul/Ian/Jenny/John/Blake Kelvin Michelle Jenny

P [ 02] 4255 2855 F [02] 4255 2866 E info@domina.com.au

visit us online W W W . D O M I N A .C O M . AU

Commercial Operations Report Bowls Australia is grateful for the continued support received by its sponsors and partners and we’re pleased to report that relationships with new sponsors were inked whilst existing partnerships were reaffirmed during this financial year. BA’s principal partner, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), provides annual funding to Bowls Australia based on participation of the sport and guidance around governance, administration, policies and overall athlete development. The ASC continues its support of the sport’s high-performance program and national team representatives ensuring the sport’s elite athletes are able to achieve the best results and highest recognition possible. Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) and the City of Gold Coast entered into the second year of their investment of bowls’ premier tournament, the Australian Open, which expanded to 14 bowls clubs on the Gold Coast in 2016, and was staged over 14 days. The Australian Open prize pool increased $25,000 to $250,000 in 2016, and in an effort to reward more players, changes were made to split the purse across 540 prize money places, paying down as low as the round of 128 in the men’s singles. The event witnessed an 11.5% increase in individual participation and attracted 2370

Bauer Media supported the Over-60s men’s and women’s pairs disciplines through a naming rights partnership. Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation continued as the charity partner of the event and provided over 2000 show bags to assist in the delivery of promotional material, which was handed out to every participant. Fox Sports continues to provide ongoing support to Bowls Australia. Fox Sports over the last year provided live broadcast of the Australian Premier League at Club Pine Rivers and the Australian Open at Broadbeach Bowls Club. A particularly pleasing fact for our commercial partners was the growth in audience numbers that was witnessed across both events. A number of exciting entries for the duration of partnerships were announced the event. It was also a during 15/16 including great achievement forVillage, the Stockland Retirement Regional District Australian OpenNursing to register Service (RDNS), Blamey an increase in volunteers with Saunders andwomen a over 500 Hears men and partnership with SBS that saw providing their services the broadcast of The Bowls across all clubs. Show on free-to-air television from May 15 to September 25 New Ageepisodes. Caravans again for 20 partnered the event, parking RDNS a The caravan at partnership the entranceprovides to significant support to the the trade-stand for players and Regional Bowls spectators to viewManagers upon entering (RBM) programBowls by providing the Broadbeach Club. vehicles for each of the 17

48 2015-16 Annual Report

The ASC continues its support of the sport’s high-performance program and national team representatives ensuring the sport’s elite athletes are able to achieve the best results and highest recognition possible.

national RBMs. The RBMs work closely with RDNS to integrate free health and well-being sessions at clubs around Australia. The Stockland Retirement Living partnership aims to promote their 69 villages around Australia, of which 33 are equipped with bowling greens. With the assistance of Bowls Australia’s RBMs, connections are scheduled linking village residents with local bowls clubs. This includes

dedicated events, coaching sessions and aligning RDNS to provide free health and well-being sessions at nominated Stockland villages. The Stockland partnership will continue for three years.

The end of financial year National

Bowls Australia greatly appreciates the continued support of extended partnerships with preferred bowls manufacturer, Aero Bowls, official apparel manufacturer, BLK, as well as Domina BCiB, MakMax and ASICS.

a decrease of 8.8%.

Merchandise Program (NMP) results finished with sales at $5,592,651, a decrease of 9.5% on the previous year, while total NMP revenue ended at $653,687,

BLK and Dynamic Sublimation were added as Licensees with Cathead, Fosta Sports and Cueldee ceasing to continue after this financial year. 2015-16 Annual Report 49

2016 Australian Open Report The 2016 Australian Open was a true festival of bowls relished by over 1,932 participants from all corners of the globe. The two week event was staged across 14 immaculate Gold Coast bowls clubs and was without a doubt the finest Australian Open to date.

The Australian Open ran without a glitch and in so many ways the tournament exceeded last year’s inaugural staging on the Gold Coast; more champions emerged, volunteers relished the opportunity to be part of the world’s biggest festival of bowls, 14 Gold Coast clubs were sensational hosts, there were under-18, bowlers with a disability and over-60s events, the addition of two Mega Bowl mini-events, the inclusion of a Live Panel of post sectional match-ups in the men’s and women’s singles, the Fox Sports telecast of the finals were extraordinary games once again and the four matches recorded for The Bowls Show were a hit among viewers. It was pleasing to see an increase in entries by 11.5% on 2015, which is a true indication that the Australian Open’s relocation to the Gold Coast was a popular decision among bowlers, not just locally, given a steady increase of bowlers from across the country entering to chase the sunshine during winter. Malaysia and Hong Kong China have been great supporters of the Australian Open and this year was no exception with both organisations sending their full contingents to Broadbeach.

50 2015-16 Annual Report

There are so many pleasing things to celebrate but there is no doubting that with a $250,000 prize pool, the people celebrating the most were the newly crowned Australian Open champions. The major winners were of course the coveted singles champions, Australian Jackaroos Aron Sherriff and Natasha Scott, who each pocketed a cool $13,000 after progressing though a tough field which started with records numbers; 864 men and 292 women. Natasha Scott was the biggest winner of all, having advanced through to the semi-finals of the women’s pairs and fours and amassing the inaugural Player of the Tournament prize of $1,500 for collecting the most rankings points during the 14 day festival of bowls.

The Australian Open ran without a glitch and in so many ways the tournament exceeded last year’s inaugural staging on the Gold Coast; more champions emerged, volunteers relished the opportunity to be part of the world’s biggest festival of bowls Nathan Pedersen and Steven Dennis were the only two players to win dual Australian Open titles in the open categories and in doing so were able to secure back-toback Australian Open Fours titles alongside Scott Thulborn and Wayne Ruediger.

as the most prolific winner of Australian Open titles after she claimed the women’s pairs alongside Rebecca Van Asch; Johns also ensured her Australian Open finals record remained intact making it six from six victories in coveted finals.

The pair joined an illustrious list of players who have achieved that great feat at previous Australian Opens, however they weren’t the only players re-writing the records books.

One of many firsts for the Australian Open was the introduction of the Champion Club award which resulted in every participant, both local and interstate, competing for more than just personal glory, they played for an opportunity to accumulate points for their nominated club.

St Johns Park’s Anne Johns created history joining Australian Jackaroos Captain Lynsey Clarke

2015-16 Annual Report 51

The best-performed local club was the Broadbeach Bowls Club, the home venue for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the central hub of activities during the Australian Open on the Gold Coast; the best performed interstate club was Cabramatta Bowling Club, a powerhouse club which continues to attract past and present international stars. The likes of Australian Open singles runner-up Dee Anne Robertson, two-time Australian Bowler of the Year Ryan Bester and new recruits Chloe Stewart and Julie Keegan all contributed to Broadbeach Bowling Club’s success, while Ellen Ryan and Nathan Pedersen were stand out performers for Cabramatta, the centre of excellence for the ACT/ NSW NTC Squad.

The re-introduction of the over60s pairs disciplines proved to be of great success with the finalists in both the women’s and men’s events showcased in episodes of The Bowls Show. Women’s champions, NTC Coaches Faye Luke and Therese Hastings, are no strangers to the TV rink with Hastings a former Australian Open pairs champion and Luke a key ingredient to Adelaide Endurance’s success in APL01. With an abundance of their NTC Squad members rink side to offer their support, Hastings and Luke got over the line against New Zealanders Wendy Mackie and Reen Stratford 18-15. Not every day you get to watch a legend of the game in action and that is exactly what happened when former New Zealand international Peter Belliss,

affectionately nicknamed God, won the men’s over-60s pairs alongside fellow Kiwi Colin Lowery. The Under-18 champions Tiffany Brodie and Jono Davis demonstrated our sport’s future is in great hands, after advancing through a quality field of young stars, and conducting themselves so well in their maiden television appearances for The Bowls Show. With the 2018 Commonwealth Games expected to be the largest para-sport program in the history of the games, it is no wonder the Bowlers with a Disability categories had plenty of international flair with New Zealand and English invaders finishing on the dais. Carolyn Crawford (NZ) is a world champion and has now added an Australian Open physical disability women’s singles title to her trophy cabinet, likewise fellow international, England’s Carl Fountain, enjoyed a successful

tournament winning the BWD vision impaired men’s singles. While the success players achieved on the green was widely publicised, the unsung heroes of the competition were undoubtedly off the green, with the event’s band of volunteers consistently going above and beyond to ensure participants and guests of the Australian Open were well looked after, without their diligent efforts the Australian Open would simply not have been possible. Bowls Australia would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the 14 bowling clubs; Broadbeach Bowls and Community Club, Club Helensvale, Musgrave Hill Bowling Club, Gold Coast Bowls and Community Club, Southport Bowling Club, Paradise Point Bowling Club, Mermaid Beach Bowling Club, Burleigh Heads Bowling Club, Club Benowa, Coolangatta Bowls Club, McKenzie Park Nerang Bowls

One of many firsts for the Australian Open was the introduction of the Champion Club award which resulted in every participant, both local and interstate, competing for more than just personal glory, they played for an opportunity to accumulate points for their nominated club. Club, Robina Bowling Club, Mudgeeraba Bowling Club and Tugun Bowls and Community Club for their continued support and tireless efforts in preparing their greens, providing volunteers, entering scores and for the generous hospitality their members and staff extended to all Australian Open participants. Sponsors are a big part of the Australian Opens success on the Gold Coast and Bowls Australia is grateful for the major support from Tourism and Events Queensland

At the conclusion of the world’s biggest festival of bowls, a player survey was sent to all participants to encourage constructive feedback about the running of the event and over 600 responses were received and analysed anonymously. The dates for the 2017 Australian Open have been set; June 10-23 is when thousands of bowlers from around the globe will again descend on the Gold Coast to take part in the world’s richest bowls event.

and the City of Gold Coast.

2015-16 2015-16 Annual Report 53

Hall of Fame & Awards Night Report At the 2015 Bowls Australia Hall of Fame and Awards Night we crowned the year’s most deserving bowlers and administrators, and bestowed Hall of Fame induction on four past greats, at the sport’s night of nights on the Gold Coast. Mantra Legends proved a fitting venue to acknowledge the contribution of the past and present stars of bowls during the 2015 Hall of Fame and Awards Night this evening, where 10 of this year’s biggest contributors to the sport of bowls across the country recognised in the categories of international bowler, male bowler, female bowler, under-18 male bowler, under-18 female bowler, coach, official, story, volunteer and Regional Bowls Manager of the year.

International Bowler of the Year Matthew Flapper has earned a spot among the sport’s elite, recognised as the International Bowler of the Year for 2014-15 following a scintillating Commonwealth Games performance. Flapper was handed the plum role of skipping the triples and fours following an exhaustive selection process, and led by example on and off the paddock. He repeatedly extracted the best out of himself and his teammates in the testing Glasgow conditions, and played more than a few heroic shots to secure a podium result, 54 2015-16 Annual Report

which he backed up the next year with a clinical Trans-Tasman performance.

Pine Rivers December Pairs, Moama Prestige Classic Pairs and the South Lismore Classic Pairs.

Flapper has been lauded for bringing a new dimension to the Jackaroos contingent during his time in the sport’s top high performance tier and is a deserving winner for the International Bowler of the Year award, as voted by his peers.

Testament to his dominance, Bester finished the period with a staggering 368.5 points to be crowned Male Bowler of the Year, 86.3 points higher than the next best contender.

Having announced his retirement from international representation, winning this prestigious award was quite a swansong for this highly respected and admired former Australian Jackaroo.

Male Bowler of the Year Ryan Bester was confirmed as the Aero Bowls Male Bowler of the Year after the completion of the first full year of the National Player Ranking System. It goes without saying that the Canadian international bowler enjoyed a stellar year on the green, having accumulated more points at Bowls Australia ranked events than anyone else in the country during the period of July 1, 2014 till June 25, 2015. The points Bester recorded came from winning Tweed Heads Golden Nugget, prevailing in Queensland’s State Singles and triumphing at Broadbeach’s Blue Diamond Pairs, while he also added to his total with runner-up placings at the $225,000 Australian Open men’s singles and Ballina Summerland Singles, and finished third in the

In addition to his title as Australia’s number one male bowler, Bester was also awarded a cheque to the tune of $3,000 courtesy of award sponsor Aero Bowls.

Female Bowler of the Year Natasha Scott secured the title of Australia’s number one female player with her Aero Bowls Female Bowler of the Year victory. Australian Jackaroos star Scott had a scintillating 12 months on the green, where she secured 265 points in the Aero Bowls National Player Ranking System, 42.4 points more than the second placed finisher. Scott claimed the Female Bowler of the Year title courtesy of four major victories throughout the year, which included the NSW State Triples title, South Tweed Classic Singles crown, Tweed Heads Golden Nugget trophy and capped off the period on a high note, by recording her first Australian Open title win, in the 2015 women’s fours discipline. A number of other events contributed to Scott securing the coveted title of Australia’s

number one female bowler, with a last 16 finish in the Australian Open women’s singles and pairs disciplines, and NSW State Pairs and Fours events demonstrating her exceptional consistency at the sport’s premier tournaments. In addition to her second Female Bowler of the Year title, having also won in 2012, Scott was presented with a $3,000 prize cheque for her consistency over the 12 month period, courtesy of award sponsor Aero Bowls.

Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year Jamie-Lee enjoyed an incredible rise to prominence on the back of a standout year on both the national and international arenas, where she earned the adulation of the entire bowls community as the Tourism and Events Queensland Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year. On the junior stage, Worsnop started the year with a bang with a gold medal finish at the 2014 Australian Open’s under-18 singles in February, going on to represent her nation with distinction in March at the 2014 Trans-Tasman test series in the junior disciplines, and continued her form through to October at the Australian Under18 Championships in the Northern Territory, where she secured a singles bronze medal and triples silver medal. Despite her success on the junior stage, Worsnop’s biggest achievement came against a star-studded field at the $30,000

Australian Indoor Championships, an event that has helped establish the credentials of some of the sport’s biggest personalities. Winning through the treacherous NSW state qualifying for the

Australian Indoor Championships as a 17 year-old was a feat in its own right, but Worsnop wasn’t finished there, going on to pave a path through the entire field. She etched her name in the record 2015-16 Annual Report 55

books as the youngest ever winner of the nation’s premier indoor event in either gender, snaring a unique slice of history and the $6,000 winner’s cheque that accompanies the coveted national title. By virtue of her Australian Indoor Championships victory, Worsnop was afforded entry into the World Cup at Warilla, where she got her first taste for senior international representation, and continued to demonstrate her resolve against world-class competitors with a bronze medal finish. As a result of her scintillating performances, Worsnop was granted a special invitation to the Australian Jackaroos high performance squad, taking part in the New Zealand trial camp to select the Asia Pacific Championships team.

Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year Jono Davis is widely touted as one of the nation’s brightest young prospects in the sport of bowls, and that view was further reinforced after a superb 12 months on the greens, and the BCiB Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year award. Davis enjoyed a blistering campaign at the 2014 Australian Under-18 Championships in the Northern Territory, where he earned the boys’ pairs gold medal and took home the bronze medal in the blue-ribbon singles. His performance saw him selected as one of five males in the Australian Under-18 Squad for 2014/15, and then picked from within that contingent to represent the nation as one of two under-18 boys in the Development Men’s event at the Trans-Tasman test series in Christchurch, where he

56 2015-16 Annual Report

helped retain the Development Men’s trophy.

the All Sports Travel Official of the Year award.

At a state level, Davis won the NSW State Junior Singles and was named the 2014 NSW Junior Bowler of the Year, but he also enjoyed a stellar year at open age events, with a semi-final appearance at the State Champion of Champions Singles.

As a member of the Bowls Victoria Laws and Rules Committee and Chairman of the Northern Gateway Regional Umpiring Committee, Carlson regularly displays his commitment and dedication to advancing all areas of officiating.

Testament to his exceptional consistency, Davis finished the first full year of the new Aero Bowls Player Ranking System in 59th position, as the highest ranked junior male bowler. Davis was bestowed the honour of representing Australia at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, where he proved he had a golden touch in both disciplines on offer, claiming gold in the singles and mixed pairs, alongside fellow finalist Ellen Ryan.

Story of the Year Tom Boswell and Terry Wilson were recognised with the Berry Bowling Systems Story of the Year award tonight on behalf of their Gold Coast Bulletin colleagues for the significant coverage their publication provided to the 2015 Australian Open and the sport of bowls in general. The Bulletin has long been a beacon for bowls coverage, with Wilson providing traction for the sport in the regular column Pure Gold, while Boswell took a lead during the staging of the Australian Open to ensure the region was kept up-to-date with results and human interest stories of the 2,000 odd competitors.

Official of the Year Bowls Victoria’s Bob Carlson’s committed and passionate for officiating was acknowledged with

Carlson contributed his expertise at a range of events during this period, including the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea, 2014 World Bowls Champion of Champions in New Zealand, the 2014 and 2015 Australian Opens, and the 2014 Australian Under-18 Championships.

Volunteer of the Year NSW’s John Smith’s 13 years on the Bowls NSW State Match Committee, nine of which was as the Chair, helped him secure the City Club Volunteer of the Year award. Similarly he served on the Zone Match Committee for 28 years, with 16 years as Chair, in addition to being Zone Vice President for seven years and President for last seven years. Smith was recognised for his contribution by Bowls NSW, as the winner of their Volunteer of the Year award in 2014, and also was honoured with the Paul Trisley Award in 2015 for an outstanding contribution to the Hunter Academy of Sport in 2015.

Regional Bowls Manager of the Year Sydney metropolitan’s Chris Wallace was presented with the Berry Bowling Systems Regional Bowls Managers during the 201415 period. Wallace is based in the Sydney metropolitan region, where he

Bowls Australia would like to congratulate all award winners, finalists, Hall of Fame inductees and acknowledge the support of event partners

has built a strong rapport and awareness of the 161 clubs that he services, which include assisting them win $110,000 worth of grants during the selection criteria period.

Hockey was the Assistant Coach

Renowned for going above and beyond in his role, Wallace also played an unofficial support role to other RBMs, who regularly sought out his expertise on a wide range of issues, and is a member of the sport’s National Development Advisory Panel, charged with providing strategic guidance and direction to the program.

2011. Since 2014, Hockey has

Coach of the Year

representatives.

Anthony Hockey has played a key role in developing Bowls WA’s playing personnel in both the men’s and women’s teams for the past six years, and is a deserving winner of the City of Gold Coast Coach of the Year.

and Manager of the Bowls WA women’s state team from 2010 to 2014, during which they won the coveted Marj Morris Trophy in 2010 and were runners-up in played the same two roles for the men’s state team. Hockey was also instrumental in setting up the Bowls WA Academy as the inaugural coach, which identifies enthusiastic young players who boast potential to become future state and national At a club level, Tony is a senior coach for both genders at Manning Memorial, who recorded a historic milestone last year, claiming both the men’s and women’s Premier Division Pennant Grand Finals, a first for the competition.

Hall of Fame Audrey Hefford Audrey hailed from the small township of Cobdogla in South Australia’s Riverland, but her achievements on and off the green in the sport of bowls cannot be understated. On the international stage, Hefford debuted for Australia in 1983 in Hong Kong at cap number 25, before going on to don the green and gold at four more test series’ over the next seven years, including two Commonwealth Games campaigns, where she claimed a silver medal in the fours at the 1986 Edinburgh Games and a fourth place finish in the singles at Auckland in 1990, while a gold in the triples at the 1989 Asia Pacific Championships in Fiji also ranks among her highlights.

2015-16 Annual Report 57

On the national front, Hefford also secured some of the sport’s top gongs, including winning the Golden Nugget, Australian Fours in 1971, and the Master Singles on five occasions between 1973 and 1990. She also enjoyed a long and illustrious career at state level, representing South Australia on more than 200 occasions, and was the state Champion of Champions six times and State singles winner three times. Off the green, Hefford was recognised in 1985 as the State Country Sportsperson of the Year, in 1990 as South Australia’s Sportswoman of the Year and the Riverland Citizen of the Year, as well as a five-time winner of the Riverland Sportsperson of the Year, and was an inaugural inductee into Bowl SA’s Hall of Fame. Sadly, Hefford passed away on March 5, 2014 aged 85. Dorothy Roche OAM Dorothy became Australia’s oldest gold medal winner when she competed in the women’s fours at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games at the age of 61 years and 10 months, having taken up competitive bowls in 1975 when she was nearly fifty years of age. In 1979, she won the Champion of Champions singles competition and the Alfa Romeo Sport-Star of the Year, while a round-robin match in 1984 where she and Merle Richardson defeated the sport’s leading male players, including world champion David Bryant, ranks high among her personal achievements. Roche earned cap number 27 when she made her debut

58 2015-16 Annual Report

at the 1985 World Bowls Championships, with her illustrious international career spanning until 1993.

Jack High television program, 30 Prestige Invitational singles titles and six Prestige Invitational pairs gongs.

Testament to her exceptional consistency, throughout her career, Roche won a state-level game every year.

Bob King’s dominance through the seventies, eighties and nineties made him synonymous with the sport, and in 2007 he was one of the four inaugural inductees into the Bowls NSW Hall of Fame.

In 1988 she was captain of the gold medal-winning team at the Melbourne World Championships and two years later claimed the historic 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games fours gold, becoming Australia’s oldest gold medal winner. In that year she was granted the ‘Freedom of the City of Paramatta’ and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to lawn bowls. Bob King

Donald Woolnough OAM Donald’s contribution to the sport of bowls spanned numerous decades and across multiple levels, most notably as an Australian and Victorian representative, but also as a Bowls Victoria councillor, delegate and state selector, in addition to being a national selector, umpire and coach.

Bob began bowling at the age of 21 years, and achieved the honour of representing Australia 19 years later at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, where he returned with a silver medal from the fours event.

Woolnough’s greatest success on the international stage came at the 1976 World Bowls Championships in South Africa, where he guided the pairs to a silver medal and the fours to bronze.

On the national stage, King was successful in winning two major titles; the Australian Pairs in 1985 and the Australian Singles in 1998.

He was also a prolific winner at state level, claiming the Victorian Country Fours in 1963, the Pairs in 1965, and accumulated more than 350 games for the Big V.

During a long and illustrious career in NSW, King amassed a plethora of coveted titles, including the NSW singles five times, in 1979, 1980, 1984, 1993 and 1998, the NSW pairs twice, in 1979 and 1980, the State Champion of Champions singles in 1984 and 1994, and the State Open Pairs in 1978. Bob has enjoyed great success at other high profile events and activities including playing in the blue-ribbon singles position at the 1981 Australia v New Zealand test series, appearances on the

Off the green, Woolnough dedicated countless hours to the sport in his state and country, acting as an RVBA councillor and Victorian selector for 15 years, and club delegate to the association for 20 years, while at a national level, he served as a selector for four years, umpire for 38 years and coached the nation at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. Woolnough was given life membership to Bowls Victoria (RVBA) in 1998 and was inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2002.

He was also recognised for his contribution to the sport in 1995 when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to bowls.

Finalists: Australian Sports Commission International Bowler of the Year

Sadly, Woolnough passed away on March 18, 2003.

Winner: Matthew Flapper (Ocean Grove, VIC)

Life membership

Aero Bowls Male Bowler of the Year

Betty Collins OAM

Winner: Ryan Bester (Broadbeach, QLD)

Former Bowls Australia and World Bowls President Betty Collins OAM was presented with life membership of Bowls Australia during the evening’s proceedings. Upon the formation of World Bowls in July 2001 Betty was elected Deputy President and, in 2003, was elected President of World Bowls. Testament to the high regard she was held in by the Member National Authorities, she was re-elected in 2006 to serve a second term.

Runner-up: Aron Sherriff (Ettalong Memorial, NSW), Wayne Ruediger (Grange, SA)

Aero Bowls Female Bowler of the Year Winner: Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW) BCiB Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year Winner: Jono Davis (Dubbo Railway, NSW) Runner-up: Jacob Nelson (Wynnum Manly, QLD) Tourism and Events Queensland Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year Winner:Jamie-Lee Worsnop (St Johns Park, NSW) Runner-up: Ellen Ryan (Cabramatta, NSW) City Club Volunteer of the Year

During her tenure, she presided over the very successful 2008 World Championships, the first time the Men’s and Women’s World Championships were held together at the same time, at the same venue.

Winner: John Smith (NSW)

Betty was awarded the Australian Sports medal in 2000, became a life member of Bowls Victoria in 2001 and she was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her service to the sport in 2002.

Berry Bowling Systems Story of the Year

Bowls Australia would like to congratulate all award winners, finalists, Hall of Fame inductees and acknowledge the support of event partners Australian Sports Commission, Aero Bowls, BCiB, Tourism and Events Queensland, City Club, City of Gold Coast, Berry Bowling Systems and All Sports Travel.

Runner-up: Patricia Reely (Helensvale, QLD) City of Gold Coast Coach of the Year Winner: Anthony Hockey (Bowls WA) Runner-up: Bev Dowrick (Bowls ACT)

Winner: Tom Boswell and Terry Wilson on behalf of the Gold Coast Bulletin publication and their contributing colleagues (Jack Harbour, Shya Laughlin, Suzanne Simonot and Lucy Ardern) Runner-up: Rob Greenwood (Messenger Community News) All Sports Travel Official of the Year Winner: Bob Carlson (Bowls Victoria) Runner-up: Sandy Wallace (Bowls SA) Berry Bowling Systems Regional Bowls Manager of the Year Winner: Chris Wallace (Sydney metropolitan) Runner-up: Mark Casey (South East Queensland)

2015-16 Annual Report 59

Honour roll ANNUAL NATIONAL EVENTS 2015 Australian Indoor Championships – Tweed Heads (Nsw) Singles: Jeremy Henry (NSW), Carla Krizanic (NSW)

2015 Australian Under18 Championships – Tuggeranong Valley Vikings Club (Act) Singles: Jono Davis (NSW), Sophie Young (QLD) Pairs: Joshua Studham, Tyson Wilson (SA) and Madeline Goncalves, Molly Wilton (NSW)) 60 2015-16 Annual Report

Triples: Jesse Herbert, Dylan Skinner, Jordan Taylor (NSW) and Brittany Wiley, Michaela Bailey-Nelson, Taleah Putney (QLD)

2015 Australian Premier League (Apl03) – Club Pine Rivers (Qld)

Fours: Mitchell Mears, Hayden Vogler, Jacob Nelson, Nic Gosley (QLD), Brittanny Wiley, Taleah Putney, Michaela Bailey-Nelson, Tiffany Murray (QLD)

2015 Australian Sides Championships – Queanbeyan Memorial Rsl Club And Queanbeyan Bowls Club (Act)

Boys’ title: Queensland Girls’ title: Queensland Overall title: Queensland

2015 Australian Champion Of Champions – Coolum Beach Bowls Club (Qld) Singles: Scott Thulborn (SA), Natasha Scott (NSW)

Winners: Tower New Zealand Blackjacks

Men’s Alley Shield: Victoria Women’s Marj Morris Trophy: New South Wales Overall State Champions Trophy: New South Wales

2016 Australian Open – 14 Gold Coast Clubs (Qld) Singles: Aron Sherriff (NSW), Natasha Scott (NSW)

Pairs: Steven Dennis (SA), Nathan Pedersen (NSW) and Anne Johns (NSW), Rebecca Van Asch (TAS ) Fours: Steven Dennis, Nathan Pedersen, Wayne Ruediger and Scott Thulborn (SA) and Tiffany Brodie (VIC), Amelia Bruggy (VIC), Georgia White (QLD), Chloe Stewart (QLD) Under-18 Singles: Jono Davis (NSW), Tiffany Brodie (VIC) Over-60s Pairs: Colin Lawry, Peter Belliss (NZ) and Faye Luke (SA), Therese Hastings (WA) BWD Hearing Impaired Mixed Singles: Barry Lynne (QLD) BWD Intellectual Disability Mixed Singles: Nathan Appleton (QLD) BWD Physical Disability Singles: Josh Barry (VIC) and Carolyn Crawford (NZ) BWD Vision Impaired Singles: Carl Fountain (UK) and Lynne Seymour (QLD) BWD Multi Disability Pairs: Josh Barry (VIC) and Nathan Appleton (QLD) BWD Vision Impaired Pairs: Jake Fehlberg (QLD) and Chris Backstrom (QLD)

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS 2015 Asia Pacific Merdeka Championships – Bayuemas (Mal)

Women’s singles: Dawn Hayman (NSW) - bronze

Women’s pairs: Kristina Krstic, Karen Murphy – silver

Mixed pairs: Bolivia Millerick (QLD), Scott Thulborn (SA) -quarter final

Coach: Therese Hastings (WA NTC)

Mixed fours: Dawn Hayman (NSW), Bolivia Millerick (QLD), Ben Twist (NSW), Scott Thulborn (SA) - gold Coach: Faye Luke (SA/NT NTC)

2015 Commonwealth Youth Games - Samoa Australian representatives: Ellen Ryan (Cabramatta, NSW) and Jono Davis (Dubbo Railway, NSW) Boy’s singles: Jono Davis (NSW) - gold Women’s singles: Ellen Ryan (NSW) - silver Mixed pairs: Ellen Ryan and Jono Davis - gold Coach: Gary Willis (NSW/ACT NTC)

2015 Hong Kong Invitational Classic – Hong Kong

Australian representatives: Ben Twist (St Johns Park, NSW), Scott Thulborn (Adelaide, SA), Dawn Hayman (St Johns Park, NSW), Bolivia Millerick (Caloundra, QLD)

Australian representatives: Corey Wedlock (Cabramatta, NSW), Nathan Pedersen (Cabramatta, NSW), Karen Murphy (Cabramatta, NSW), Kristina Krstic (Manning Memorial, WA)

Men’s singles: Ben Twist (NSW) - bronze

Men’s pairs: Corey Wedlock, Nathan Pedersen – gold

2015 World Champion Of Champions – Club Helensvale (Aus) Men’s singles: Scott Thulborn (SA) – bronze Women’s singles: Katrina Wright (NSW) – bronze Coach: Brett Wilkie (QLD NTC)

2015 Asia Pacific Championships Christchurch (Nz) Australian representatives: Carla Krizanic (Sunbury, VIC), Kelsey Cottrell (St Johns Park, NSW), Anne Johns (St Johns Park, NSW), Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW), Karen Murphy (Cabramatta, NSW), Wayne Ruediger (Grange, SA), Ray Pearse (Cabramatta, NSW), Nathan Rice (Club Helensvale, QLD), Mark Casey (Club Helensvale, QLD), Aron Sherriff (Ettalong, NSW) Men’s singles: Aron Sherriff - gold Men’s pairs: Ray Pearse, Nathan Rice - bronze Men’s triples: Wayne Ruediger, Mark Casey, Aron Sherriff - bronze 2015-16 Annual Report 61

Karen Murphy - 2015 Asia Pacific Championships Winner

Men’s fours: Wayne Ruediger, Ray Pearse, Nathan Rice, Mark Casey - silver Women’s singles: Karen Murphy - gold Women’s pairs: Kelsey Cottrell, Karen Murphy - gold Women’s triples: Carla Krizanic, Anne Johns, Natasha Scott - silver

Australia win Development Women’s Trophy Development Men – Australia win 3-0 Aust retain Development Men’s Trophy

Women’s fours: Carla Krizanic, Kelsey Cottrell, Anne Johns, Natasha Scott - gold

Australia win Overall Development Trans-Tasman Trophy

2016 World Junior Championships – Broadbeach (Qld)

Open Women - NZ win 2 - 1 New Zealand retain Women’s Trophy Open Men - Aust win 2 - 1

Men’s singles: Aaron Wilson (VIC) – gold, Sean Ingham (QLD) – silver, Corey Wedlock (NSW) - bronze

Aust retain Men’s Trophy Aust win Overall Trans-Tasman Trophy

Women’s singles: Ellen Ryan (NSW) – gold, Natasha Jones (QLD) - bronze, Dawn Hayman (NSW) - bronze

2016 Six Nations International- Christchurch (NZ)

Mixed pairs: Ellen Ryan (NSW), Aron Teys (NSW) – gold, Dawn Hayman (NSW), Aaron Wilson (VIC) - bronze

Carla Krizanic (Sunbury, VIC), Kelsey Cottrell (St Johns Park, NSW), Rebecca Van Asch (Invermay, TAS), Anne Johns (St Johns Park, NSW), Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW), Lynsey Clarke (Club Helensvale, QLD), Karen Murphy (Cabramatta, NSW), Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country

2016 Trans Tasman – Burnside (Nz) Development Women – Australia win 3-0

62 2015-16 Annual Report

Australian representatives:

Club, VIC), Wayne Ruediger (Grange, SA), Brett Wilkie (Club Helensvale, QLD), Ray Pearse (Cabramatta, NSW), Nathan Rice (Club Helensvale, QLD), Mark Casey (Club Helensvale, QLD), Aron Sherriff (Ettalong, NSW) Men’s singles: Aron Sherriff - gold Men’s pairs: Barrie Lester, Nathan Rice - bronze Men’s triples: Ray Pearse, Brett Wilkie, Aron Sherrif - gold Men’s fours: Wayne Ruediger, Barrie Lester, Mark Casey, Nathan Rice - silver Women’s singles: Karen Murphy - silver Women’s pairs: Kelsey Cottrell, Karen Murphy - gold Women’s triples: Carla Krizanic, Lynsey Clarke, Natasha Scott gold

2016 World Cup – Warilla (Nsw) Men’s singles: Jeremy Henry (NSW) - gold Women’s singles: Carla Krizanic (VIC) - bronze

My place for retirement With 70 villages across Australia and more than 11,000 residents, Stockland really knows that retirees are looking for living options as unique and varied as they are. We’ve created Retire Magazine, a helpful guide to retirement village living. Get tips on choosing a home for now and in the future. Learn how village life promotes health and wellbeing, and understand the costs and benefits of living in a Stockland retirement community. After all, it’s time to retire your way.

Order your FREE copy today by calling 1800 72 71 70 or visiting stocklandretire.com.au

Freecall 1800 72 71 70 stocklandretire.com.au

Finance Report The operating result for the 2016 year was a surplus of $686,135 compared with a surplus of $43,911 in 2015. The major factors contributing to this surplus were across four main areas: • The Australian Sports Commission’s request to expend any items of funding that had been carried over in previous years – this totalled $515k; • The successful acquisition of new sponsors/partners: the RDNS (cost of all vehicles for the RBMs to the value of $150k), Stockland and BLK, which resulted in an improved result against budget; • The decision not to employ two RBM positions until negotiations had been concluded with STAs in relation to their support and possible funding contribution for the program which resulted in a saving of $150k against budget. • Sales from Jnr Jack Attack kits which totalled $70k better than budget. Other significant variances included: • Administration expenses – increased by $240k from the previous year due to the pay out of employment entitlements to four staff members who resigned from BA in 2015/16, the non-allocation of these costs to the applicable cost centre and the upgrading of the Finance Manager’s position to full-time; • Governance expenses – increased by $56k due to the cost of staging the Annual Awards which had been sponsored in the previous period. Our focus for the year continued to be on developing and expanding participation through many project initiatives as outlined in the Bowls in Australia Strategic Plan 2013 - 2017.

Revenue Overall revenue increased by $790k during the year to be $6.93m (2015: $6.13m).

64 2015-16 Annual Report

The Membership/Capitation fee model has been introduced with STAs from 2016/17 and will no longer be calculated on individual membership numbers. Overall membership declined by 2% nationally during the 2015/16 with the major reduction in NSW (8.5%). Victoria was the first state to embrace the new fee model and reversed the downward trend by growing 9%. Pleasingly, the Northern Territory also enjoyed growth. The other states continued the trend of declining traditional membership numbers. The 2015 national census indicates, that “regular bowls participation” continues to increase and offers opportunities for clubs to increase their revenue into the future. Ongoing grant support from the ASC/Australian Institute of Sport provided $1.40m. This is in line with the “normal” annual commitment. In addition to this, we included $515k of funds rolled over from 2014/15 into this year’s results. This funding was used for sport participation and high performance activities. Additional funds totalling $50k relating to Sporting Schools and $200k promoting Sport Participation were also rolled out of this year. The Australian Commonwealth Games Association provided $170k to assist the high performance team with its preparation for the forthcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games. Substantial sponsorship support was achieved during the year with a new deal signed with the Stockland group midway through the year. Value in kind support deals with the Royal District Nursing Service and BLK also came to fruition. The National Merchandising Program continues to be a major revenue source to sport development as all the monies from this program are directed towards the deployment of Regional Bowls Managers throughout Australia. Revenue for the year was $40k below 2014/15. The year also saw a significant drop

in revenue obtained through the E Commerce store particularly from reduced sales of the Crystal Mark rule book which is not unexpected after the initial take up of the new edition. Revenue from “Other income” increased during the year on the back of an increase in income from Australian Open entries of $20k.

Expenditure Overall expenditure increased only slightly for the year by $40k to be $6.24m for the year. (2015: $6.20m) During the year every effort was made to maintain the “general” sport development and high performance programs at the high level of spending reached in the previous year. Spending on Game Development and High Performance has been maintained at 27% and 16% of total Bowls Australia spending respectively. Expenditure during the year was directed towards: • Game Development ° The ongoing management and funding of the activities of sixteen Regional Bowls Managers throughout Australia giving both support to bowling clubs and the development of the sport; ° The continued roll out of “Jack Attack”; ° “Jnr Jack Attack” was very successfully promoted and introduced to a growing number of Schools and Clubs; ° Coaching and officiating training and accreditation programs. • High Performance ° Spending in this year increased for the preparations for the 2016 World Championships to be held in November/December. ° Specialty sport science and technology projects were undertaken.

There was continued rollout throughout Australia of the Bowls Connect program and its training and support for associations and clubs. This relates to the creation of websites, a membership database and a competition management system. A strong focus on costs and efficiencies saw the total cost of events for the year falling by $250k over the previous year (2015-16 $1.576m compared to 2014-15 $1.831m). Six events were again held during the year including the 2015 Australian Premier League and the 2016 Australian Open. Other events managed and funded by Bowls Australia were the Australian Sides Championship, Australian Indoors Championship, Australian under 18

Championship and the Australian Champion of Champions. More spending was directed towards promoting the sport both through mainstream traditional media and social media but most importantly, significant funds were directed to the production of the Bowls Show which was broadcast on SBS and Fox Sports. Other marketing spend focussed on the creation of some TVC’s for Jack Attack and Jnr Jack Attack.

BA continues to maintain and operate a strong financial position with $3.6m held in Cash and Cash equivalents. Liquid assets continue to represent a major proportion of total assets.

Income Year Ended 30th June 2016

An effective credit management policy has continued with trade debtors and in particular those related to the national merchandise program. Where applicable, provision has been made for any doubtful debts. Income Year Ended 30th June 2016

Balance Sheet and Cash Resources

Income Year Ended 30th June, 2016

A focus continues on spending most of the revenue earned and grants received, particularly in the areas of sport development/participation as outlined in the strategic priorities contained in the Bowls in Australia Strategic Plan 2013 – 2017.

Net equity increased to $1.9m at year end, which provides a sound and liquid financial base for the future of this national body.

National Mercha

Glenn Hudson Finance Manager August 2016

Sponsorships 1 Other 7% Interest 1% TV Income 2%

E store & Salea

Expenditure Year Ended 30th June, 2016 Expenditure Year Ended 30th June 2016

Television Production 9

Capitation Fees 31%

Game Development 31

Operating Grants 30%

High Performance 18%

National Merchandising 10%

National Bowls Events

Sponsorships 15%

Administration & Gove

Other 7%

Communication & Mark

Interest 1%

Governance 2%

TV Income 2%

Merchandising - mater

E store & Saleable Items 5%

Capitation Fees 31% Expenditure Year Ended 30th June 2016

Television Production 9%

Operating Grants 30%

Game Development 31%

National Merchandising 10%

Capitation Fees

Operating Gran

World Bowls Affiliation

High Performance 18%

Television Production 9% Game Development 31% High Performance 18%

Sponsorship 15%

National Bowls Events 18%

National Bowls Events 18%

Administration & Governance 10% Communication & Marketing 6%

Other 7%

Governance 2%

Administration & Governance 10%

Merchandising - materials consumed 4% World Bowls Affiliation 2%

Interest 1%

Communication & Marketing 6%

TV Income 2%

Governance 2%

E Store & Saleable Items 5%

Merchandise - materials consumed 4% World Bowls Affiliation 2%

2015-16 Annual Report 65

bowls australia limited acn 65 427 736 644 financial report for the year ended 30 june 2016

2015-16 Annual Report 67

1 68 2015-16 Annual Report

2 2015-16 Annual Report 69

3 70 2015-16 Annual Report

4 2015-16 Annual Report 71

5 72 2015-16 Annual Report

6 2015-16 Annual Report 73

7 74 2015-16 Annual Report

8 2015-16 Annual Report 75

9 76 2015-16 Annual Report

10 2015-16 Annual Report 77

11 78 2015-16 Annual Report

12 2015-16 Annual Report 79

13 80 2015-16 Annual Report

14 2015-16 Annual Report 81

15 82 2015-16 Annual Report

16 2015-16 Annual Report 83

17 84 2015-16 Annual Report

18 2015-16 Annual Report 85

19 86 2015-16 Annual Report

20 2015-16 Annual Report 87

21 88 2015-16 Annual Report

22 2015-16 Annual Report 89

23 90 2015-16 Annual Report

24 2015-16 Annual Report 91

25 92 2015-16 Annual Report

26 2015-16 Annual Report 93

27 94 2015-16 Annual Report

28 2015-16 Annual Report 95

96 2015-16 Annual Report

Sponsors

Bets wishes to all players in the 2015 Australian Indoor Championships. At Domina/BCiB we have proudly supported the sport of lawn bowls for over 25 years.

Domina/BCiB is a family business operating since 1987 and today employs a dedicated team of 17 from our head office in the Illawarra region of NSW and branch on the Gold Coast, Qld.

Designed by Jejak Graphics: 03 5977 8804

Our philosophy is to build long term relationships with our clients by providing great service, great products and professional advice. Our client base is a mixture of small, medium and large commercial operations, all receiving our high standard of professional service.

2 2015-16 Annual Report

Ian Hopper, Paul Constable, Jenny Gaul and Kelvin Kerkow are your experienced insurance broking team.

Domina/BCiB – your insurance broker working harder for you. We help you take the risk out of insurance.

 [ 02 ] 4255 2855 visit us online WWW.DOMINA. COM.A U

31-33 WENTWORTH ST • PORT KEMBLA NSW 250 NSW Q LD

PO BOX 214 P O R T K E M B L A N S W 2 5 0 P O B OX 3 9 2 WEST BURLEIGH QLD 4 2 1

Annual Report 2015/16 BOWLS AUSTRALIA 2015/16 ANNUAL REPORT

Darebin International Sports Centre John Cain Memorial Park 281 Darebin Road, Thornbury, VIC 3071

www.bowlsaustralia.com.au

100 2015-16 Annual Report