No Hill too Steep for Versatile Ken

No Hill too Steep for Versatile Ken

When it comes to diversity Ken Giles’ time at Sorrento pretty much mirrors his life before he took up bowls. Hailing from the tiny town of Williams on the edge of WA’s Wheatbelt, Ken showed his versatility during a working life that included many interesting job opportunities. And Ken’s time since he joined Sorrento in 2001 has followed the same busy pattern both on and off the green.

Born at Narrogin Hospital in 1938, Ken spent the first chapter of his life in Williams, 170kms south of Perth, where his parents ran the local hardware store. Leaving school at the age of 15, Ken worked at the hardware store, along with his brother, Doug, for five years.

During that time a young lass named Nora lobbed in Williams looking for a job, which she acquired at the local café, and, both aged 19, began a partnership with Ken which has lasted ever since.

It was during that period that Ken modestly mentions that while playing a game of Aussie Rules for Williams he was opposed to a bloke called Barry Cable who just so happened to be playing for the Imperials team from Narrogin. Nora says a more accurate version of what happened was how Ken, and others, simply chased Barry around that day.

Then out of the blue Ken was approached by the Williams postmaster who asked if he was interested in a job. Ken accepted and held that position until transferred to the Medina post office in Perth.

Then came a complete change of direction when Ken joined the RAAF in 1965 and after recruit training at Edinburgh in South Australia settled in as a driver at Point Cook in Melbourne where he drove VIPs around.

Then, in 1968, no sooner had Ken and Nora, returned to Melbourne after a long Nullarbor drive home to see family at Christmas than did his boss call him in and asked if he would be interested in a transfer to Perth. Leading Aircraftman Giles and Nora jumped at the idea and suddenly Ken had a job in Perth which included driving Provost Marshals all over the place rounding up members of the Air Force who had gone AWOL.

Ken left the RAAF after a six-year stint and for the next 22 years held a job with the Department of Works as a driver and purchasing officer at defence bases, including Swanbourne. Then on the very day he turned 65 Ken retired from his last job as a commercial cleaning supervisor. Realising Ken would be lost without something to do Nora suggested he take up bowls and Sorrento just happened to be the closest club to where they lived. But Ken’s first attempt to get involved with the club merely involved intrepidly driving around the car park outside and returning home.

Jay, the youngest of Ken and Nora’s three sons, then took matters into his own hands and organised some coaching lessons for his dad who, now past the point of no return, then began social bowling in 2001. Two years later Ken put his hand up for pennants and in the 20072008 season was runners up in the club’s championship fours along with Noel Summers, Neville Odell and Neil McRae. Ken went one better in 20016-20017 and got his name on the honour board alongside Tom Nasuti, John Sanders and Tiger Hogan by beating an opposition skippered by Bruce Eagles.