BOWLS ON ANZAC DAY.

Grey River Argus, 12 July 1927, Page 3

BOWLS ON ANZAC DAY.

GREY CLUB’S APPROVAL. A notice of motion was moved by Mr J. Ring at the annual meeting of the, Greymouth Bowling Club last evening: “That the Club’s green be closed on Anzac Day.” Mr. Whibley contended that the motion was not in order, as members should each have received seven days’ notice of it. The retiring secretary (Mr. Kibble) quoted Rule 16, which stated that seven days’ notice was required; but said that the Chairman’s ruling was needed as to whether an advertisement was not sufficient notice. Air. Whibley said that the advertisement did not appear until Wednesday. The President (Mr. .1. .Truscott) ruled that the motion was in order. Mr. F. IF. Kilgour, in seconding the motion, said it had always been left to the Committee to decide, and he thought that it should have the support of all members. Personally, he favoured the green being closed, It had been questioned by members, however, each time it had been raised. Mr. L. Mercer said it was a personal matter, and it was not for each member to dictate to other members if they wished to come along and play on Anzac Day. Mr. J. Cochrane contended that it should be a day of rest for bowlers, as well as everybody else. lie was against the green being open. ' Air. J. Bunt said that it was a matter for the Centre to deal with. The Committee had always, in the past, treated Anzac Day as a Sunday, and in so doing, had ‘adopted the same view as 1 other organisations. Tie contended that none of the previous speakers had said anything in favour of the motion, as fa ras he knew, no other organisation had passed a motion of that kind —neither the tennis, or golf clubs, or any other club had done so. He thought that the Committee’s decision to treat the day as a Sunday was in keeping with the spirit of the things Good Friday was a sacred day, yet they often played on it. It was considered no offence to play on a Sunday, so why should it bo so on Anzac Days. It was all the same. If they wanted to play / thev should be aldo to do so and he did I not see why they shouldn’t. He knew . of certain members who played cards in the pavilion on that day yet they | objected to Sunday bowls. The President: You surprise me. Air. Bunt: You'll get a good many surprises before you ve finished with the officers you've got now (Laugiiter'). i Continuing, Air. Bunt said ho hoped that members would make their public reference work in with their private practices. lie had no one particularly in mind, and was talking generally. He did not want them to point one way in public and the other way in private. It ( was ‘‘sheer humbug”. He moved as an amendment: “That this meeting ap I prove of the Committee’s action for the I last two years in regard to playing on I Anzac Day, and recommend that it be carried out in future.” Air. Whibley in seconding the amendment, said that as with Sunday playing, it was purely a matter for their own conscience. If a member tell that he should not do so, it was not for him to jam his own ideas down another member’s throat, and to say what ho should no. It was a. matter for individual members. \ Air. A. Kibble said he had listened to I the eloquence of the two previous speakers, but as one who had always supported the closing of the green on Anzac Day, he would still continue to do so. Anzac, Day was different from Sundav, or Good Friday, the latter being a purely religious festival. Anzac' Day was a national day, and it had been instituted by Parliament with the Object of honouring the fallen soldiers. The playing of bowls and other games could not be what was intended by the Act, and it was not a day for pleasure. The playing of cards, which had to be referred to. had nothing to do with the club as such, and nothing to do with the subject under discussion. The. amendment was then put to the meeting and carried by 21 to 16. When put as the motion, a number of members dissented.