DUNEDIN BOWLING CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 20613, 13 October 1930, Page 7

DUNEDIN BOWLING CLUB

“HANDS OFF OUR PROPERTY" DOMINION BOWLERS MAY BE MOBILISED The senses of the Dunedin Bowling ! Club give notice of a possibility that its grounds nlay be wanted for the new maternity hospital. Such a, wresting is on the cards if the medical men succeed in bringing about a preference ■for the Cumberland street site. , The Hanover street side of that site is just now the more talked . about, but it Cumberland street is eventually chosen there may be a- secondary argument as between the northern and the southern positions, and in view of that issue being raised'there is no telling how the final decision would go. _ _ Thus it comes about that the D.li.L. deems it wise to publish a warning and declare its firm intention to mobilise the bowlers of the district, and of the dominoh if necessary, in defence of its rights. Should a claim to the property be made it will he resisted to the uttermost, even if political power has to be invoked. , Already the members of the club are furious at the suggestion to push it out and send it seeking a new home. Their indignation can be well understood. HISTORIC CLUB. For close on sixty years the Dunedin green has been the headquarters of howling in Otago, and the club has mothered the game with fairness, phis a degree of affection , that has swelled into very wide hospitality. On the green the most liberal interpretation has been given to the duty of welcom-ing-visitors, and from Bluff to Auckland there are men who would strongly resent any attacks upon the club. A brief review of the club’s history, gathered largely from the, jubilee souvenir issued n 1921, is timely. Mr George Turnbull, a Wellington merchant, opened a house at Dunedin in the ’sixties, and brought with him a ■ ; set of howls with which, games were ;played by himself and his friends on the Asylum Grounds. It was out of these' gatherings that the Dunedin Bowling and Quoiting Club arose, the organising meeting being held on December 20, 1871, Mr D. F. Mam in the chair. In 1872 an agreement was come to with Mr Thomas Allen (father of Sir James Allen) tb lease his ground, the present site, he to construct and maintain a green. The. first building, a howlhouse, was a shed Oft by Bft, used in later years as a tool shed. In 1875 the rent was increased to £75 per annum. The first interclub match was ' played on January 22, 1876, against Fernhill Club, three rinks a-side. Fern- • hill Club, which had the second green laid down in the South Island, won by 7 points. About the same time it was agreed to buy Mr Allen’s lease of the ground, funds being raised by the issue of debentures for £250, bearing 8 per cent, interest. Mr Thomas Callender has the honour of being the founder ■ of the club, and in 1876 he was presented with a gold watch as a mark of appreciation of his services. In 188<> i the green was enlarged four 1o eight rinks, an asphalt tennis court was constructed, also a fives court, nxd a new pavilion erected, this outlay being met by the subscription of £361 m debentures. At the same tipe the title was changed to the Dunedin Bowling, Lawn Tennis, and Fives Club. The membership in the first financial year numbered ninety-two, the list being as follows: T. Callender ’ ' ' A. H. Jade G. G. Bussell W. D. Munson J. M. Bitchie H. M'Lcan A, F. Anderson Medlicott A. B. Spalding J. B. Dawson G. Turnbull D, Taylor .T. T. Mackerras J. Battray J. Davie J. A. Walcott W. Hepburn P. C. Neill ,T. Whitelaw J. Aikman - J. L. Butterworth J. Houghton W. 0. Ball L. B. Levy W. Park A. W. Morris K. Bamsav John M‘Ncill D. F. Main B. Wilson Jas. Mills J. Mills J. H. - Arris A. Lees J. Boss J. Fargie T. 8. Graham G. Young ; B. B. Martin A. B. Callender B. Oliver H. Driver E. H. Leary W. S. Douglas J. T. Wright i Jas. Gall A. B. Martin T. Muir J. Marshall Jackson J. Copeland , J. Langsngne C. S. Bcwes J. M'Leod G. H. Campbell • Greenfield W. Dixon B. Eossbotham W* D. Stewart John Eva W. Mason • B. M'Laren H. Howorth • J. Cuddy G. K. Turton E. Menlove A, Bartleman A, Burt T, Burt G. T. Colhnson a’. M'Grogor John Findlay F P. Baldwin B, M. Bobertson H. T. Fish J. T- White B, Saunders D. M. Speddmg T. Meyer T. F. Eeid George Bell W. Gregg —.Sutherland J. Cargill A. Bathgate C. Nichols T. Sibbald D. S. Currie J. E. Sinclair J. N. Watt A. Towsey J. F. Jones By 1883 the roll numbered 155, many joining to play tennis. In 1884 the D. won a match against a team of visiting Victorians, and an interprovincial tennis match was played against Auckland, the Otago pair being Dr F. C, Batphelor and Hugh M'Neill. In 1888-89 a campaign was started to pay off the debenture debt, and this was accomplished in the 1895-96 season. A few members presented their debentures to the club, but most were purchased at 16a for each £l. In the Exhibition year of 1889-90 the competition amongst the Dunedin clubs for a 10-guiuea gold - medal presented by Sir John Roberts was won by the D.8.C., its rink being ■VV. Cowie, Mark Sinclair, Davd Russell, and James Hunter (skp). Up to 1892-93 the club had a record m interclub matches of 98 wins and 23 losses, 3 drawn. In 1895-96 the subscription was raised from £1 Hs 6d to £2 2s. The pavilion was enlarged in 1898 by adding a second story as a social hall, debentures being issued to the extent ol £2OO to cover the cost. A social committee,of ladies was for the first time appointed for the opening of this hall. , The freehold of the property was bought from Sir James Allen in 1905, Mr Andrew Mowat (ex-president) advancing ' £1,200, and the same year the club was ' formed- into a company, with a capital ‘ of £2,000 in £1 shares. The following • year the property was added to by the -'purchase for- £250 of an area of 66 x 47 ’ from an adjoining section belonging to ■■ gir James Allen. Another big improvement was decided on in 1908 —namely, ’ to abandon tennis and fives, erect a new ■ pavilion, and- convert the whole playing ' area to bowls. The new pavilion was ■ opened in 1909, and a billiard table was > set up the next year. PATRIOTIC WORK. The patriotic work of this club dur- ■ ing the Great War was of considerable value. Parcels of comforts were cou- - tihuously forwarded to the sons ot i. members who were “ doing their bit on various fronts. The queen carnival brought in over £l3O. r The club s com . tribution to the New Zealand bowlers effort realised £230 odd, and the club s , dee party assisted at concerts which added about £2OO to the war fund.

In addition, members subscribed £2OO to endow two cots in the Montecillo Convalescent Home. • ■ , LATE HISTORY. Sinco 1921 the club has bought the quarter acre facing Castle street and leased another quarter-acre adjoining, and half tho property thus acquired has been made into an additional fourrinks green, which provides play chiefly for the ladies’ section. To get those properties a fresh mortgage had to be given. * A fow'years ago Mr and Mrs W. C. Burt made tho club , a valuable gift. They erected an addition to the pavilion and extended it to its present, length, thus increasing the size of the men’s pavilion and making px-ovision for a ladies’ pavilion below. Air and Airs Burt also installed gas and lockers for the ladies, so .that tho ladies’ pavilion is now practically self-controlled. ’ ' This outline of history shows that tho Welding of the Dunedin Bowling Club has been brought about by a spirit of fraternity, by a love of bowls, by work in organising and building up, and by efforts on behalf of the community. That is the way to make a strong club —brotherly association in unselfish en deavour —on tho same principle that establishes a family, when it has to struggle for recognition or remain in the shade . How strong this club has become has never been tested.. Perhaps such a test may come if ejection is threatened. ' . Meanwhile the arguments againsr. ejection may be marshalled. One of them is that a bowling green cannot be made ready for use as a house can. It takes very many years to got a green to the high finish that the Dunedin green has. The latest four rinks added to the Dunedin Club’s property was laid down nearly ten years ago, and is not yet looked upon as a green to play a final on. If the Dunedin Club lost its property it would mean that a large number of its members, now numbering 160, would not live to take part in the opening of a new green. The, majority would never play bowls again, as it would take so many years to prepare a green that members would have pleasure in playing on. It would undoubtedly result in the unsettling of the membership roll, and tho dropping out of many men who have retired from active work and are adding years to their lives by the open-air pleasures of bowling. This club has always been looked up as the resort of business and professional men of the city. It was founded by men who made Dunedin, and tho traditions of the early members are to-day being maintained and upheld by present members. Further, the loss of this green would he felt not only by tho club members, but by all bowlers of Dunedin, as no club could give the same facilities and pavilion accommodation as the old parent club. It has one green of eight rinks, one of four rinks, and a third of two rinks, so 112 players can bo at the game at one time. These are only a few of the many considerations that are raised for decision in the acquisition suggestion. PRESIDENTS TO DATE. 1871 D. F. Main 1901 J. Hislop 1872 T. Callender 1902 J. C. Short 1873 J. Hyde Harris 1903 B. T. Wheeler 1874 G. Turnbull 1904 Mark Sinclair 1875 W/M. Hodgkins 1905 R. F. Smith 1876 C. S. Reeves 1906 T. G. Young 1877 John M'Neill 1907 P. Miller 1878 J. Secular 1908 v/. Austin 1879 R. Wilson 1909 G. Crow 1880 T. Callender 1910 John White 1881 J. H. Morrison 1911 Peter . Walker 1882 J. C. Morris 1912 W. C. Burt 1883 Dr Coughtroy 1913 W. A. Scott 1884 T. Moodic 1914 W. Emery 1885 J. Edgar 1915 H, F. M. Mercer 1886 D. Baxter 1916 J. Bennie 1887 T. Fergus 1917 T. A. Maitland 1888 A. Mowat 1918 W. Smith 1889 M. Mondershauser 1919 E. A. Bosevcar 1890 K. Ramsay . 1920 W. H. Adams 1891 J. Hislop 1921 A. Fraser 1892 C. Haynes 1922 A. Steel 1893 Mark Sinclair 1923 W. Thomson 1894 Dr Gloss 1924 W. J. Croft 1895 Dr Gloss . 1925 W. C. Burt 1896 J. Hislop 1926 J. H. Wilkinson 1897 J. Hislop 1927 J. C. Stephens 1898 W. B. Taylor 1928 J. B. Erame 1899 D. M'Pherson 1929 J. M'Crao 1900 Dr Black 1930 A. J. Sullivan