OVER THE YEARS: Ken Kennedy at Valentine Bowling Club with the book The First 50 Years of Valentine Bowling Club.
FROM its humble beginnings as a small shed on the shoreline of Lake Macquarie, Valentine Bowling Club has grown to become the community hub of activity for local residents.
This month the club marks its 50th anniversary and celebrates the achievements of its bowlers.
The club has enjoyed many success stories over the past two years.
In particular, a victory in the four individual district singles in 2012 – State Seniors Singles Championship, Major Singles Championship, Mattara Open Singles and Champion of Club Champions Singles.
This feat has never been achieved before across the district’s clubs.
2012 also ended with club member Bill Ahoy qualifying to play in both the Australian Men’s Open Singles Championship and the Australian Men’s Pairs Championship.
In 2011, club member Nancy Childs was inducted into the Hunter Academy of Sport Hall of Fame, becoming only the ninth lawn bowler to do so.
Mrs Childs’s sporting career highlights include representing NSW at various interstate competitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s, winning the Australian Women’s Singles Championships in 1997, and playing test matches for Australia in the singles and the pairs in 1998.
To celebrate Valentine Bowling Club’s 50th anniversary, a giant fair day will be held at the club on this Saturday, March 24, from 9.30am, and a 50-year book chronicling the success of the club, called The First 50 Years of Valentine Bowling Club, will also be on sale.
