Bowls Club celebrates rolling out its synthetic green

Member for Western Victoria Stuart Grimley, TBC president Joe Issell, Surf Coast Shire councillor Paul Barker, TBC general manager Aaron Ruff, Corangamite federal member Libby Coker, Surf Coast Shire councillor Rose Hodge and TBC board chair Gary Banks on the synthetic green. Photo: JAMES TAYLOR

THE Torquay Bowls Club has officially rolled out its new synthetic green, which will see the club’s bowlers stay active during the wetter months.

Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker was invited to do the honours at an event at the club on Friday last week.

The project was supported by a $400,000 federal government grant and about $100,000 of funding and in-kind support from the club itself, and Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson ceremonially turned the first sod in late May 2020.

The chair of the club’s board, Gary Banks, said the board decided in March last year to build the synthetic green. “It’s a bit easy, really,” he quipped. “Let’s do it in the middle of a pandemic; that’s a bit easy too. Let’s close the business down completely; let’s make it a little bit harder.

“We really built the green under the most trying of circumstances – and of course, the last coup de grace was that we employed a Queensland company during the middle of a pandemic when the borders were closed.”

The green opened to bowlers in early December.

“We’re very grateful it’s here, it’s rolling beautifully – the end product that I particularly want to highlight is the surrounds, which were done by our relationship with local businesses such as Coastal Group, and our own club members,” Mr Banks said.

Ms Coker acknowledged the efforts of the Torquay Bowls Club in completing the project.

“I know this is a very important place for Torquay, a great place to gather for new people who come to Torquay to have a game of bowls,” she said.

“It’s really important that when new people come to a town, they have a place to come and meet and connect, and I would say that this bowls club is one of the true community spaces in Torquay.”

Ms Coker also left the door open for a third green at the Torquay Bowls Club, which was greeted with a cheer by the crowd.

“We will be talking about a third green – there’s a little ways to go, I think it’s a matter of talking to the community, the council and what was GORCC and seeing what we can do,” she said.

“But I’ll be in there having a good crack for you because I think the bowls club needs more room to play.”