FEBRUARY
HUI-TANGURU 2022
Bowling Club selling up, on the move What a whopper! by Ann Packer Eastbourne's Bowling Club facility and greens in Muritai Road are to be sold, with committee members hoping to relocate to another part of Eastbourne and invest sale proceeds into synthetic greens. The club has been in its current premises since 1907, but declining membership and fewer people using the club for functions has seen it struggling with the significant costs required to maintain its greens. EBC president Clive Mallett says the green is finally open after "something of a disaster since last season when the green was plagued with moss and nematodes leaving it like a patchwork quilt". The decision was made to dig up the affected areas and replant – unfortunately the special seed required was not immediately available and inclement weather at the time meant the ground was not seeded until quite late. “Four rinks are now open, thanks to the dedication of our ground supervisor and the perseverance of members, who spent a great deal of time hand-weeding the incredible variety of weeds that came away in the imported top soil,” Mr Mallett says. “The community will be able to participate in bowls and the club extends a warm welcome to new members.” Like a lot of clubs these days, the Eastbourne Bowling Club has suffered from a decline in full playing membership. Bowling all weekend in traditional garb is no longer popular, as it once
was. However, the more casual form of the sport is thriving, with a good number of men and women casual bowlers participating from the Eastbourne community. These people enjoy the socialising and friendly competition of games of shorter duration. Mr Mallett says in the coming weeks it will be possible to start community bowls using the shorter Bowls3Five format. With this in mind the current committee has come to the realisation that the future for the club lies in providing a community-based facility and increasing the participation of local families. Reluctantly the club has accepted it must relocate. Mr Mallett says it would be a sad day indeed for the community and both existing and future bowlers if there were no bowling green retained within the community. However, while the club may be cash poor, it is fortunate to be asset rich since it owns the freehold title to its land. The committee considers this value should be reinvested back into the community where it was raised. One option is relocating and investing the sale proceeds of the existing club premises into a synthetic green which can be used throughout the year and with lower overheads. The club is currently exploring several options, which would generate sufficient funds to create “a really first-class facility”. Mr Mallett says the experience of other bowling clubs in New Zealand who have installed a synthetic green is that membership numbers often double or even treble, which would assure the future of bowls in the Eastbourne community.
This kingfish is the biggest catch so far for Jason Yan, who has been practising his craft at the popular Sunshine Bay anglers’ corner for several years under the watchful eye of Sri Lankan-born Mushab Thazleem, from Stokes Valley. Mr Yan, 21, from Tawa, who is in the third year of an IT degree at Victoria University and also has a day job, sought out Mr Thazleem and asked to be taught to fish. The teacher is as proud as the student.
Fire up the barbie