Evans Head Bowling Club

History of Evans Head Bowling Club

It was late in 1931 when a few enthusiastic fellows, mainly from Evans Head, decided to form a Bowling Club. The idea was that a game of bowls was not only good sport, but also that the clubhouse would be a great meeting place when the fish weren’t biting. Records show that the Bank of New South Wales, in April, 1932, received a deposit in the name of the Evans Head Bowling Club. Early records and minutes of the club have been lost.
In 1932, half a green was put down on the site of the present ‘middle’ green and a bore was sunk close to where the first clubhouse stood. The first clubhouse was, in practical terms, a huge tank stand. Heavy round timber was used for the corner posts, with rough-sawn timber completing the framework with galvanized iron walls. The ground level section had a wooden floor and the section nearest the caravan park was walled-off and used as a bar. The first floor, about 8 feet up, was the caretaker’s bedroom and, above that, forming the roof, was a platform supporting the 10, 000 gallon tank.
In the early years, with no liquor license, it was ‘bring your own’. And when visitors arrived, the honorary bar steward would ‘take a punt’ on the visitor’s intake, hurry to the pub and buy quart bottles of draught beer, to be resold at purchase price.
In 1945 the club went into recess and, during 1946, the half green was dug up and a full green laid. Play resumed late 1946. In 1948, with the bowls and club welfare in mind, a new clubhouse project was initiated. The clubhouse was officially opened on December 5, 1953.
Lack of reliable information makes it difficult to place past-presidents in chronological order. However, sometime during the early years, Les Williams held office. In 1955, Clarrie Kirkland became president and held office until 1959 when Lester Cribb took over, holding office for four years.
The Evans Head Bowling Club has continued to prosper into the successful club visited by many today.