History

The Waiheke Bowling Club was established in 1945. For over 75 years, the Club has created competition, sporting rivalries, friendships, and a social environment for Island residents, members of other bowling clubs, and visitors to Waiheke Island.

Founding

 

Research of early records, letters, and accounts has revealed the enormity of the task undertaken by a small band

of men and women who, with little financial resource, no earthmoving machinery, or electric power, managed to build the original seven rink bowling green.

The idea of a bowling green for Surfdale arose, it seems, from a casual conversation at the home of a Mr and Mrs P. Walker in May 1945. It was decided to hold a public meeting to test the opinion of the community and the get some idea of support that could be expected.

Word was passed around, and on the 16^th June 1945, a well-attended public meeting took place in the old Surfdale Hall. Fourteen men and six women declared their wish to join a bowling club, and by paying a subscription of one pound seven shillings, and the name Waiheke Bowling Club came about.

The first General Meeting of the WBC took place in the Surfdale Progressive Association Hall on the 28^th July 1945. All twenty members, both men and women, attended. The foundation patron, the Hon. F.W. Schramm M. P. was elected and the following officers elected: President, Mr J Higginson; Treasurer, Mr VP Rossiter; Secretary, Mr H Grimson; Management Committee – Messrs Ironside, Warren, J Smith, A Day, Dyson, Walker, Hollis, and Green. The Club Rules of the Birkenhead BC were adopted for the meantime.

 

Breaking Ground

It was decided to negotiate to buy four sections of land bounded by Marama Ave, Surfdale Rd, and Hamilton Rd. The total cost of the land was £415.

To raise funds for purchase and the necessary improvements to the site, six lady members formed a jazz band comprising of a piano, fiddle, two washboards, a jinglestick, and a drum, to attract locals and daytrippers to galas, gymkhanas, meat raffles, and socials. An old truck was used to mount the raffle wheel and local shop advertising was hung on the sides of the truck in exchange for raffle prizes donated.

Work commenced on the site over the Christmas holiday period clearing gorse and manuka scrub, and excavation began. The Northeast end lowered by just over 10 feet and the Southwest end raised by a similar amount. The soil was turned over and removed by horse-drawn plough and scoop.

By the end of 1946, the site was levelled, drained, and three barge loads of topsoil added. Each Club member was requested to contribute one specimen tree for landscaping, each tree to be planted and tended by the contributor. Some of the trees still flourish on the Southern side of the site.

A water bore and petrol pump was installed near the South gate and connected to an 8000 gallon fabricated water tank near the Northeast corner on Marama Ave. A lady member, Mrs Eva Turner, donated the water bore on the condition that a branch pipe and valve be included to refill her private tank if required. Mrs Turner lived several sections away on Hamilton Rd. The Club honoured the water supply agreement until Mrs Turner died thirty four years later.

 

Our First Season

With their first season fast approaching, the lady members were advised by the Auckland Bowling Centre that they must have a separate club, and subsequently they formed the Womens Waiheke Bowling Club.

Four rubber mats and four kitties were purchased, and preparations for opening the 1947 season arranged for play on 3 rinks were made. A large tent was set up as a temporary pavilion and plat was limited to singles only until the new grass was firmly established. Unfortunately, that first season was short-lived as the Greens Superintendent recommended that play be suspended in December upon discovering the playing surface has sunk over two inches.

 

Building a Clubhouse

Work began on the new clubroom in 1948 (the present Match Committee room) and the lady members ran cake stalls to raise money for a 21ft Oregon flagpole and a flag. The base of the flag pole was part of a Puriri tree which grew nearby.

Lady members were not permitted in the clubroom except on special occasions. One club member was observed inviting a lady to share a drink with him in the clubroom. This was quickly reported and a special committee meeting hastily convened. The offending member retained his membership on the casting vote of the President. A resolution was passed that liquor could only be consumed by the member who paid for it, and lady members were prohibited from paying for liquor.

In the early 1950s, the top lounge and full length open veranda were completed which included a billiard table and games. Electric power became available in 1953 and two lights and one power point were installed in the upstairs lounge.

In the early 1960s, the area now occupied by the inside car park, was bulldozed level and an outside social room was built in two stages to house a WBC Social Club. The billiard table was transferred and indoor bowls introduced and the liquor locker system installed. The Club was administered by a separate committee and managed day to day by stewards.

By the middle 1970s, liquor licence regulations were becoming more liberal and the prospect of a liquor sales licence became a realistic possibility.The Social Club building was raised 1.5 metres and moved sideways about 50 metres and joined to the WBC pavilion to effectively double the area of the upstairs lounge and to provide for a billiard room, a lounge, and space for a bar. 

This layout can be seen in our clubhouse today. We have upgraded our kitchen, bar, and billiards table, but the same spirit persists. 

 

The Bowling Green

Our greens have also had many changes over the years. On one occasion, the early spring topdressing, manuring, and seeding had been completed followed by a period of light warm rain. To the delight of all concerned an even seed strike had been achieved and a pleasing emerald green sward of rapid growth appeared in a few days. The vigorous growth continued. Delight turned to dismay and then to despair as the workers gazed over a healthy crop of watercress waving in the breeze, and there was a delayed commencement of play that year. The position of Green Superintendent came under review.

In the early 1980s, the surface was planed by laser guided machinery and cotular introduced to improve the surface and a costly automatic watering system installed. This greatly improved the consistency and quality of the playing surface.

Synthetic Astrograss surface was introduced in the early 1990s. At the time, members were very dubious of new material and its affect on play. At the time of installing Astrograss, the green was extended three metres each way to full regulation size for eight rinks and Winter bowling became possible. Members of the former Oneroa Bowling were welcomed to join for off-season bowling. This action was of great benefit to both clubs, bringing much improved co-operation and common enjoyment to the bowling fraternity of Waiheke.

Over the last fifty years, the conversion of a rough, scrub covered hillside into a valuable sporting and social facility is clear evidence of hard voluntary work, farsightedness, and generosity of so many WBC and WWBC members over the years. It would be indeed fatuous to attempt to single out individuals.

It is best said in our original club motto from 1945,

“It is not how we won or lost, but how we played the game”