Celebrating a century

THE Torquay Bowls Club will round off its year of centenary celebrations with one final event next weekend.

To mark the milestone, the club will host a centenary dinner on October 5.

Torquay Bowls Club chair of centenary celebrations committee Peter Anderson said the dinner will be their last event celebrating the anniversary.

“This whole year we’ve been having a number of events to identify our 100th year at the same site in Torquay.

“We made a video of the club over the years, and we’ve shown that, written our history of Torquay Bowls Club and published that, we’ve done a range of things, it’s been quite an active year.”

On top of that, the club has also hosted an open community day, learn to bowl events, members nights and more.

 

Mr Anderson said there was a meeting in 1924 organised by the Torquay Improvement Association which determined the forming of the Torquay Bowls Club.

As part of the centenary dinner, a reenactment of the meeting will take place, with guests from Bowls Australia and Bowls Victoria also set to be in attendance.

Live band the Retro Thieves will also be on scene to entertain guests and lucky door prizes up for grabs.

Since its 1924 beginning, the bowls club has faced a number of challenges and changes.

“100 years ago, the bowling club was an activity for people who used to visit Torquay in the summertime,” Mr Anderson said.

“It survived some world wars and some depressions and COVID more recently, and it’s become a place now where it’s quite an active community hub.

“Back in the day there were no ladies bowling, now there are lots of ladies and younger people bowling and lots of other visitors that come to the club.”

The centenary dinner will kick off at 6pm with grazing platters on arrival.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the celebration, phone the club on 5261 2378.