BOWLING JUBILEE

Evening Post, Issue 86, 8 October 1936, Page 17

BOWLING JUBILEE

WELLINGTON CLUB

CELEBRATIONS SOON

(By "Lead.")

Although the first settlers in New Zealand had little time for play, the colony was still young when the ancient and historic game of bowls was introduced, and fifty seasons ago the youthful Wellington settlement gave its name to a club that has flourished season by season through the half-cen-tury. The Wellington Bowling Club has become, in the words of the president of the New Zealand Bowling Asso elation, "the M.C.C. of bowls in Wellington," and during this year of its . jubilee it will also. be the Mecca of bowlers in New Zealand because it will be the headquarters of.the New Zealand Bowling Association and of the Dominion bowling tournament. The club will open its season in the ordinary way next Saturday, and will be well launched on the pennant games before the actual jubilee is celebrated, the jubilee programme being set down for November 19, 20, and 21. On November 19 a one-day tournament will be held, November 20 is set aside for Veterans': Day, which is a centre fixture, and on November 21 the Wellington Club will field a team to meet representatives of the combined clubs in the Wellington Bowling Centre. The club holds such a high name for bpspitality and good-fellowship that it is hard to imagine past performances be-, ing improved upon during the jubilee celebrations, but if improvements canbe made the club has the right members to make them. THE CLUB'S INCEPTION. Fifty years ago the Wellington Caledonian Society circulated a petition to discover what support there would be - for a bowling club, and the original petition, with its seventy-three signatures, is in the possession of the club, having been framed and handed over : by Mr. J. H. Mentiplay, who joined the club in 1893, has been itssecretary, and is how one of the oldest" members. So many . prospective members having signified their desire for a green where they could draw the shot, a meeting was held and a committee appointed to map out the preliminary arrangements. The first general meeting was held on December 11. 1886, and the committee reported that a suitable area of land had been secured in Wordsworth Street (the lower part of what is now Aro Street). On December 18, when Mr. G. S. Cooper was elected the first persident and Mr. John Duthie vice-president, sixty-five members had joined and Mr. S. Kohn presented a silver cup as a trophy for the first match to be played. To enable the season to be started while the green was being constructed, the club secured the use of the lawn . of the Hon. Walter Johnston and Sir Julius Vogel for play. Eventually Wellington's first bowling green was officially opened by the Governor of the colony, Lieutenant-General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, on November 19, 1887. The first green was 110 ft square, and at the time qf the opening a small pavilion was in course of erection. ENTHUSIASTIC PLAYERS. It need scarcely be said that the enthusiasm: shown for the game of bowls at the present time was evident from the. opening of the green and during the second year of its use an inter-club match was arranged with' the Wanganui bowlers,'who had the. honour' of winning the first provincial match/between Wellington and Wanganui. Although other clubs were formed in the city, the Wellington green and clubhouse never failed to draw members, and by 1889 a second green had to be laid down. Early in its career the. club secured the freehold of the land occupied by the greens, and it was also formed, into a limited liability company, these two actions assuring it of a prosperous career. Although the club has .passed through some vicissitudes it has always had < prudent and enthusiastic officers who have guided, its destinies along the lines worthy of the senior bowling club of the capital city. ,At the present time.upwards of 200 of the 1700 bowlers in Wellington Centre are members of the Wellington Club.ahd a large number of them are prominent citizens of Wellington. Throughout the half-cen-tury of its existence it has attracted members from all walks of life, and the membership roll is rich with the names of those whose names will always be linked with the history and the growth of the city. THE CLUB TODAX. From its small beginning the club has grown until the two full-size greens and spacious pavilion of the present day are a-source of pride to all-mem-bers. The grounds, are tastefully laid out and are always neatly kept, and the whole is the scene >'of many gatherings that play a not unimportant part in the social life of the city and of the country. Indeed, the bonds, of Empire .' owe something to the Wellington Bowl* ing Club, overseas bowlers having discovered that there they could meet representatives of their own race, who, like Admiral Drake, combine Empire building with the character-building game of bowls: During its career the club has numbered amongst' its players bowlers'of considerable prowess, and its honours board is one of which members can be proud. It has also had members who have helped the club by the presentation of trophies to^encourage play, and in other ways, so it is little wonder that it has always held a foremost place. In addition to the jubilee games mentioned the club will take part in the centre competitions during the season and will also conduct its usual club competitions. As the green will be used for the Dominion bowling tournament in January and the clubhouse Will be the headquarters of that tournament,, members during the jubilee year will have an exceptional opportunity to help the game of bowls forward, and it is- certain that they will do as much in that direction as those who first formed the club.