Sue Jones

 

 

The Keysborough Bowls Club has been part of the local community since its inception in 1960. It is a friendly club in every sense of the word.

 

The club is an incorporated association under the provisions of the Victorian Associations Act and is affiliated with Bowls Victoria. The club provides Outdoor Lawn and Indoor Biased Bowls with opportunities for men and women. The Club is governed by a board of management which has the overall responsibility for the management, policy, and planning.

 

We have two first class greens, each with 8 rinks. The front green (or North Green) is named after our late and esteemed member Jim McKenzie. This green was renovated during the winter of 2011 and seeded with G2 type grass. It has since been replaced with a synthetic green matching that of the back green in 2015, providing the club with 2 all-year-around, all-weather  synthetic greens. The back green (or South Green) is a similar all-weather, all-year synthetic green which was installed in 2010 and named after the Paperbark constituency which surrounds the club. This name was chosen because the local council assisted the club in the purchase of the synthetic green. Lights are available on both the front and back green.

 

During the past 8 years or so, substantial improvements were implemented, including the removal of old and unsightly concrete areas at the front of the clubhouse, which were replaced with a single pebble-mix concrete area, at the same time a very large and contemporary verandah was installed, providing much needed shade for our bowlers and visitors. Lettering, spelling out the club's name (Lighting up at night), has been installed on the top of the verandah.  A glass partition provides separation of bowlers and visitors. New seating has been provided both for bowlers and visitors. Bendigo Bank provided $10,000 for new score boards for the front green. Meanwhile, a new barbeque has been installed at the back of the clubhouse, and this has since seen the installation of a wonderful roof, providing some shade for those doing the cooking! (Have a look here). Carpet near the bar area has been replaced, and the wooden floors have been sanded to provide a smooth playing area for the indoor bowls teams. A large shade cloth has been installed over the large verandah at the back of the club house, and all chairs and tables inside the club house have just been replaced.The Club was successful in securing a government grant of $10,000 for a new Audio System. Lights over the front green have been replaced with LED Globes saving the club a substantial amount in electricity use. Similarly, all of the inside Flourescent tubes have been replaced with LED tubes.

 

Solar panels were installed providing power during the day, this is especially important when the weather gets hot, quite apart from the elctricity that is saved with appliances such as fridges running 24/7. Some time in the future, perhaps with assistance from local/state government, the club may be able to install battery backup, further limiting the ongoing cost of electricity.

 

Discussions with the Council continue, and there are still a number of projects that will take Keysborough Bowls Club into a successful future.

 

All this will provide the club with a great opportunity to promote corporate and bare foot bowling.

 

The club is mindful of conservation, and has installed a 75,000 litre tank for the the collection of rain  water which is re-used in and around the greens and surrounding gardens.

 

The club has a full bar licence and the club rooms are regularly open for social/community functions, and is available for hire to the local community.

 

We are a progressive club, in that we are constantly looking at ways to improve our facilities. The club is undergoing constant positive change, which contributes to a more exciting and state-of-the-art facility, and a more enjoyable experience for members and visitors alike.

 

 

Keith Horsnell, Sue Jones, Robert Steele