Foreword

tremendous debt of gratitude is owed by all past and present members of the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club to those few visionaries who, in 1951, first conceived the idea that our municipality needed a facility for the sport of bowls which then was enjoying a post war resurgence. After a gestation period of three years, funds, land and volunteers were assembled and the first steps taken to construct what is now our East green. Since then, of course, the original and successive members have created the club that we have today; a club that has a very impressive physical environment and a club that, perhaps more importantly has an atmosphere of camaraderie which is both progressive in outlook and which welcomes new bowlers of all ages.

It is a club that is wholly run by volunteers, including Harnam Grewal to whom special thanks are due for his research and preparation of this history. It is a club that has pioneered the encouragement of junior bowlers. It is a club that sees itself as a municipal asset and that enjoys a warm relationship with the mayor and council of the municipality. It is a club that tries hard to be a good neighbour and it has a finely honed sense of responsibility to the future. It is a club of which I am proud to be the president in this its jubilee year, and I acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to those presidents, their executives and the members who served so well in the past.

September 2004 Barry Browning

President

Introduction

he Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year (i.e. 2004) even though the idea of establishing a bowling green in Carnarvon Park was conceived in 1951. While the Club itself was formally constituted and registered in May 1957, it was in 1954 that the founding members’ vision, enterprise and will to succeed culminated in sufficient funds being raised and a suitable venue secured to permit the ‘first sod’ to be turned in the development of what is now the East green.

Despite the paucity of information in the written record relating to the early years of the Club’s existence, there is sufficient material available by way of personal reminiscences and some Club documents to enable a historical perspective to be gleaned. This compendium of the Club’s history is an attempt to draw the available information together under one cover for members’ perusal.

This is, however, not the first such attempt. In the 1996 Fall Issue of the Club’s Newsletter, Fred McLeod who became President that year and who was the editor, wrote that he “would like to gather together some anecdotes and history of our Club for a special edition to be published next spring.” As it happens, that spring edition of 1997 was one of the highlights marking the 40^th anniversary of the Club, taking the formal inception of the Club and commencement of bowling in 1957 as the starting point rather than the actual undertaking of construction work on the first green in 1954. The edition contained anecdotal material and personal reminiscing provided by the late Doreen Green, widow of John Green who was one of the five founding members, the late Lee Jameson, the first female president of the Club (1984-86), the late Will Mowatt, Life Member, and other members of long standing.

An extensive series of newsletters covering the next six years to 2003, assiduously produced by the indefatigable and irrepressible Fred McLeod, has been the principal source of material for this volume. Club members can be thankful that through his enterprise and editorial flair, many aspects of the Club’s history have been carefully chronicled and preserved.

The Jubilee Year
President’s Report

hope that everyone felt that the season went well. I certainly enjoyed it and I write this, my final contribution as president, to the Newsletter, with intense gratitude to all the people who made this season so successful. We must start with the greens keepers who work so hard, usually out of sight of the members, to give us the essential quality greens that we enjoy.

Golden Jubilee – Opening Day Ceremonies – April 24, 2004 - President Barry Browning

Aesthetically, our surroundings are very pleasing – all the work of our garden group. Our buildings remain lighted and are well maintained. We constantly receive accolades on the effectiveness of our coaching program. Our games staff and tournament managers have done a first class job in providing both a varied and a challenging games menu. Our food and beverage people have made us content even through ten other club visits and other extraordinary demands, and the social program has been a blast. Above all, I sense a spirit in our club that is a perfect meld of friendship, competitiveness and cooperation. Acrimony, mean spiritedness, cliquishness and other negatives simply do not seem to exist. It’s been a great year to be president.

We are a club with an energetic winter program that keeps us in contact with each other through the social events – short mat, darts, bridge, cribbage and Mah Jongg. We are willing to add to these activities should a demand for this occur, as it did last winter when Mah Jongg was added. Again, these activities do not run in a vacuum but happen because of the dedication of volunteers.

All the above is, of course, but a prelude to every president’s exhortation. We have superb volunteers in the club. We never ask for help in vain (although we sometimes have to ask more people than we could wish). What we slightly lack are people who will step forward to lead. It’s not hard. It’s highly rewarding and very satisfying. If you have ever thought “they should do something about that”, I am asking you to replace that thought with “I could do …..”. The club will be better for it.

Did we do everything this year that we wished? Of course not. I am still struggling with getting some form of portable sunshades so that we do not suffer those incredibly hot days without shelter at both ends of our green. All the alternatives thus far are either expensive or cumbersome, but a solution will be found. We need to replace the scoreboard numbers with something that will last more than the six years that the plastic numbers have lasted and that avenue remains to be fully explored. We also wish to get on with a reconfiguration of Anderson House and also of Carnarvon House but both require time that we simply have not had this year.

This was an innovative year. Some things were one time, because of our jubilee, but others, such as our entry in the Oak Bay Tea Party Parade may well continue. The new and enlarged equipment shed will prove its worth in no time flat and plans are well afoot for a concrete pad next to it for sand storage, etc.

Suggestions from members continue to form the basis of some of our activities. The seminar for thirds created by George Davey and Gary Robinson was the result of a member’s suggestion, as were the coaching hints and etiquette reminders which appeared popular. As a result of a suggestion, the executive are trying to determine the value and placement of the Coke machine presently in Anderson House. A further suggestion has us looking into a more convenient PA system so that draw masters can more easily be heard. Not all suggestions can be implemented; for example, we would find it difficult to offer more tournaments – although a suggestion to reformat an existing tournament might well be implemented as that would not upset the social/competitive balance for which we strive.

Finally, I thank you all for the opportunity to be your president in this most significant season. It has been an honour and a privilege and (usually) enjoyable.

October 2004 Barry Browning

The Early Years and After

ntil the start of the Second World War, a sizeable area bounded by Fair Street, Cadboro Bay Road, the Lansdowne Slope and Foul Bay Road was occupied by what were then called the Exhibition Grounds and horse racing track, as illustrated in the map at left. After the War, the Municipality of Oak Bay decided that a portion of this extensive tract of open space should be preserved for the development of a public park, and began to formulate plans to give effect to this decision. The park that eventually emerged was named Carnarvon Park.

See also photographs of the Exhibition Building and Race Track in the Photo Album section at pages 39 and 40.

During the planning process for the park, a handful of Oak Bay residents, interested in lawn bowling, approached the Municipality with a request that a suitable site in the park be earmarked for the establishment of a bowling green and clubhouse. The year was 1951, and the handful of residents were five in number, namely Bill Gibson, John Green (the Oak Bay Chief of Police at the time), William Greenslade, Dave Scott and Colin Wood. (A plaque proclaiming that the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club was founded in May 1951 and acknowledging a debt of gratitude to these first five members for their vision and devotion hangs in Carnarvon House.)

In those early days, there was no readily available source of funding from official quarters – municipal, provincial or federal. Consequently, the initiating members had to rely on their own efforts to raise the necessary funds. Debentures were sold to those who wished to become Charter Members while ordinary memberships were made available to all the neighbours, the Police Department, the Fire Department and the entire staff of the Municipal Hall.

It took three years of hard work to raise the funds that were needed. And so in 1954, work was begun with municipal help on excavating and developing the first green which is now the East green. A gravel bed was laid in the excavated area and herringbone drain tile installed, followed by a combination of sand and soil that was brought in for the purpose. Finally, special grass seed suitable for bowling greens was sown. A great deal of painstaking work was to follow over the next three years before the green was adjudged to be playable.

A constitution for the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club was finalized in 1957, and in May of that year, the Club was registered with the Provincial Registrar of Companies.

Photo-copies of the registration documents are shown below.

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Some Founding Members including Oak Bay Police Chief, John Green (far left) and his wife Doreen, along with Mayor Anscombe (center). Photo taken at Lake Hill in August, 1959.

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In the early part of the same year, 1957, a clubhouse was built, entirely by volunteer members, five in number. What is perhaps noteworthy is that four of them were all over the age of 70! They were Dave Scott (aged 80), Bill Gibson (aged 75), Colin Wood (aged 75), Mr. Longridge (aged 70+), and John Green (aged 36) who acted as overseer. It will be noted that three of them – Gibson, Wood and Green – were among the five founding members of the Club. To furnish the clubhouse and get it ready for the inaugural opening, members brought odd chairs and tables, kettles and cutlery. Other necessary items were purchased through funds that had been raised at Fall Fairs, Hat Parades, Apron Parades, Teas and Bridge.

The original green was closed for maintenance on Mondays. It was flooded in the evening, and the system of aluminum pipes that was used for this purpose had to be assembled and dismantled manually on each watering occasion. The second (i.e. West) green was built in the mid–1960’s by volunteer labour, with heavy equipment loaned by the Municipality. Even with the establishment of the second green, play had to be restricted to enable maintenance work, including watering, to take place. It was not until an underground sprinkler system was installed in December 1974, funded by a grant from the Federal Government’s New Horizons Programme, that full use of the two greens could be made seven days a week during the playing season thereafter. Nevertheless, as the 1960’s were drawing to a close, the greens at the Club had been nurtured to such a standard that they were generally acknowledged as being among the best in Canada, so much so that the B.C. Provincial Championships and the Canadian National Championships were staged at Oak Bay in August, 1969. (These were not the only major competitions to be held at the Club: the B.C. Summer Games in 1988 and the Canadian National Junior Championships and Canadian National Under-25 Qualifiers in 2002 were also played at Oak Bay.)

In the early years of the Club’s existence, bowling was essentially gender based. There were in effect two separate clubs under the same banner, one for men, and the other for women with their own executive committees, membership lists and financial arrangements. Wednesdays were set aside for bowling by women, Fridays for men, with mixed bowling taking place on other days except for Mondays when maintenance work took precedence. Although the two sections appear to have been amalgamated in 1980/81, the Club’s constitution and by-laws did not permit the President’s post to be filled by a female member until they were amended at the Semi-Annual General Meeting in April, 1984. Lee Jameson was the first female member to become President when she was elected at the Annual General Meeting in the fall of that year.

The Dress Code at the Club was, until it was modified in April 2000, quite restrictive in what could or could not be worn on the green. The code required the wearing of whites for all bowling activities, including normal open draws. However, at the Semi-Annual General Meeting held on April 12, 2000, a motion was passed to require the wearing of whites or creams only at Wednesday and Saturday 1:15 p.m. draws, at special Club events involving bowling, and at tournaments.

The Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club has produced many Provincial and Canadian National Champions, particularly at the Junior level, over the last ten years. Sherrey Sidel, Heather Battles, Laura Botelho, Steve Santana, Shannon Battles are names that have brought kudos to the Club and its Junior programme.

In this the Jubilee year, Gary and Jody Robinson distinguished themselves, and the Club, by winning the Gold Medal at the B.C. Provincial Mixed Pairs Championships and the Gold Medal at the Canadian National Mixed Pairs Championships – a fitting tribute to their bowling skills, team work and dedication.

Another couple achieving distinction, this time at the Club level, were Linda and Gordon Cowie who won their respective singles and Champ of Champs competitions – the first husband and wife duo to have done so in the same year in the Club’s 50-year history.

On the administrative front, the late John Anderson, Past President, and Fran McAdoo co-chaired the Organizing Committee for the Canadian National Championships held at Juan de Fuca in 1998. Fran McAdoo had previously, before she joined the Club, chaired the Lawn Bowls Organizing Committee for the Commonwealth Games held in Victoria in 1994, the opening ceremony for which was officiated by Her Majesty the Queen. She was bestowed with the Award of Merit by Bowls Canada Boulingrin in 1995 for her services to bowling, including her contributions to the coaching and umpiring aspects of the game.

Fran McAdoo receiving the Award of Merit by Bowls Canada Boulingrin

In its first fifty years, the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club has developed a first class facility in Oak Bay, providing as it does two high-calibre greens for outdoor bowling during the summer and clubhouse amenities which cater for a full and varied programme of activities and social functions in the winter. It is a club therefore that serves the recreational needs of its membership throughout the year. This has only been possible through the many diverse volunteer contributions made by its members. The Club with its ever growing reputation is in essence a product of the robust and dedicated volunteer spirit manifest in its membership, a spirit that augurs well for the future.

Finally, to mark the Jubilee Year, the Club organized an open competition among members to design a new Club logo. The design produced by George and Arlene Davey was selected by members and is the Golden Jubilee logo of the Club. The logo is now part of the Club uniform, designed by Joan Firkins, consisting of a yellow shirt and black fleece vest. The uniform is popular with members who wear it with pride not only at competitions but also at regular Club draws.

CARNARVON HOUSE

uring 1975 when C.H. Boulton was President, a new clubhouse almost became a reality. Plans were prepared and financing was in place. Then, for some unknown reason, the Club members would not give their approval. Nine years later, in 1984, the President, Arch McMillan and members of the Executive Committee were invited to a press conference called by the then Provincial Secretary, Jim Chabot, to announce that Oak Bay had been awarded the hosting of the BC Summer Games for 1988. On the way out of that meeting, the President stated that if the Club was ever going to have a new clubhouse, the time to get started was then, so as to have it completed for the 1988 Summer Games.

Lee Jameson, Games Chair that year, sounded out the Oak Bay Mayor, Doug Watts, who was a guest at the opening of the bowling season, on the need and funding possibilities for a new clubhouse. The Mayor remarked that occasionally there was ‘winter work’ money available and that if the Club had a plan, it would be advantageous. Lee Jameson’s son-in-law, Paul Hadfield, had just graduated in architecture from the University of British Columbia. She prevailed upon him to draw up preliminary plans even though no budget had been prepared, let alone approved.

In January 1985, now President, Lee Jameson asked Arch McMillan to chair a committee whose duties would include examining the feasibility of building a new clubhouse together with the sources of financial assistance that might be available to see the project through to its’ conclusion.

After careful consideration it was decided to aim for a building of 40 feet by 40 feet, or 1,600 square feet, at an estimated cost of $50 per square foot or a total estimated cost of $80,000.

Initial contacts were then made with the Mayor and members of Council of Oak Bay, the Director of the Lotteries Branch, Province of BC, Seniors’ Lottery Association of BC in Vancouver, and the Federal Government’s New Horizons Programme. The reception received from each of these sources of possible financial help was encouraging and the Club had reason to be optimistic of its chances of success.

At the Semi-Annual General Meeting of the Club held on April 17^th, 1985, a progress report was presented and approval obtained to have preparatory drawings done by Paul Hadfield as these were necessary before an actual application could be made for a grant from any of the aforementioned sources.

At the official opening of the 1985 lawn bowling season, Mayor Doug Watts of Oak Bay announced that a grant of $26,333, one-third of the total estimated cost, had been approved by Council but that this was contingent upon the Club being able to raise the balance required from other sources. On December 9^th, 1985, the Club was advised that a grant of $10,000 from the Seniors’ Lottery had been approved. Earlier, in August, Brian Smith, MLA, had come to the daily draw to announce that a grant of $24,000 had been approved by the Lotteries Branch of the Provincial Government.

Last, but by no means least, the Club was advised by the Federal Government’s New Horizons group that a grant had been approved in the amount of $18,480. $8,200 of this was to be used for the building and architect’s fees, with the balance of $10,280 for furniture, kitchen appliances and equipment. Added to all of this was some $4,000 that had been contributed by Club members and before long this rose to over $8,000.

Finally, at a Special General Meeting of the Club on September 9^th, 1985 some 75 members attending gave their unanimous approval to have plans and specifications prepared and construction work started. At the Annual Christmas Party on December 18^th, 1985, Oak Bay Mayor, Susan Brice, turned the ‘First Sod’. Excavation commenced in January 1986 and construction work was completed on April 12^th, 1986.

Mayor Susan Brice “turns the first sod” in the celebrations for the commencement of the new Clubhouse to be built for the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club. Club President, Lee Jameson (far left) looks on

Ed Angle, Vice President of the Canadian Lawn Bowling Association, speaks at the opening of Carnarvon House. With him is Lee Jameson, Club President and Allan McKinnon, M.P.

The opening ceremony took place on April 26^th, 1986 when Mayor Susan Brice cut the ribbon and declared ‘Carnarvon House’ officially open. The name had been decided upon by vote, and all Life Members were invited to plant a rhododendron in what was called the Life Members’ Garden, located immediately to the east of the new clubhouse. (As a note of historical interest, it is said that the ashes of John Green, one of the five founding members of the Club, are scattered in this garden.)

ANDERSON HOUSE

n 1998, the Planning and Development committee comprising Shel Rowell, Al Matheson, Don Wells, Fred McLeod, Barry Browning and John Mackay (Chairman) produced renovation proposals for the old club house which had not undergone any updating, apart from some refurbishing carried out in the early 1990’s. The major changes to the clubhouse that were implemented as a result were as follows:

· 240 new birch plywood lockers were installed,

· the men’s toilet was relocated from the west end to the east end next to the ladies toilet which was also updated and enlarged,

· a small office was built between the two toilets,

· the clubhouse was totally stripped to enable these changes to take place, and

· the space occupied by the previous men’s toilet was converted to a storage room, and a new Draw Master’s counter was built and installed.

John Anderson, Past President, met the entire cost of the new lockers in the amount of $10,300.

No fund raising as such was required as John Anderson’s generous contribution, other members’ donations and the Club’s own reserves were sufficient to cover the full cost of the work.

The renovation proposals were approved at a Special General Meeting held on November 25^th, 1998. The project which included installation of new plumbing, rewiring and installation of additional lighting, building in of a truss arrangement in the attic area to strengthen the existing structure and laying in of a new carpet was begun in November 1998 and completed on schedule and within budget in March 1999. The bulk of the work was done by volunteer members, with only the plumbing and locker installation handled commercially. The project was managed by Shel Rowell. Jon Magwood and Ken Mawle were instrumental in providing the needed construction expertise, while Phil Bissell with his ‘pickup’ truck proved to be an invaluable asset.

In recognition of John Anderson’s generosity and his untiring efforts in the service of the Club, the membership approved the naming of the old clubhouse after him.

Apart from accommodating the lockers, Anderson House provides the venue for the short mat bowling that takes place at the Club during the winter. Started by Barry Browning on a trial basis with a borrowed mat in December 1999, this version of bowling, which has rapidly gained in popularity with members, was placed on a firm footing with the acquisition of a new high-quality mat in October 2000.

(Note: The Club’s old lockers found new homes at the Sidney and Juan de Fuca clubs.)

THE FLAG POLE

ears ago there was a hotel named Mount Baker located in Oak Bay where the Marina is now situated, with a flag pole erected in front of it.

A few years before the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club was formed, the Mount Baker burned down and was replaced by the Rudyard Kipling Hotel. The flag pole was again positioned prominently in front of the building. However, when the Marina was to be built, the Rudyard Kipling had to be demolished. The year was 1959, shortly after the Club had been established. A few of the enterprising first members heard about the flag pole and decided that it was exactly what was required at the new club. One of them, John Green – a founding member and police chief of Oak Bay at the time – managed to secure the flag pole for the Club where it has proudly stood to this day.

It was lowered for the first time in 1997, after almost forty years, for some sprucing up: it was scraped, sanded and painted before being raised again.

(Attributed to Will Mowatt, Life Member, recalling the story as told to him by Dorothy Hadfield’s husband.)

LIGHTS, SHELTERS
and
MAINTENANCE SHED

LIGHTS

he present lights for the East green were installed in August 2003, the cost being shared equally by the Club and the Municipality of Oak Bay. They replaced the old set which had wires spanning the green from East to West, with light pods hung from them at intervals. These had to be taken down for safety reasons at the end of summer and hung up again each spring, a laborious, time-consuming task. Nevertheless, they served the Club well. Their origin is shrouded in something of a mystery. One account, recorded in Volume VIII Issue 3 of the Club Newsletter dated June 4, 2003, indicates that they were obtained from North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club in about 1988. Bill Barr was a member of the BC Bowls Executive at the time, and at a meeting he was attending in Vancouver, somebody mentioned that North Vancouver was going to dispose of the lights hung over its green. The question was asked as to whether anybody would like to take them. On his return to Victoria, Bill Barr mentioned the lights to the Club President, Ridley Carver, who thought that they might just be what were required for the East green. How the lights got to Oak Bay is not known, but quickly brought over they were and installed. However, it is not clear whether these were the first set of lights at the Club. The August 1974 photograph of players on the two greens (see Page 50) shows that there were lights over the East green long before the North Vancouver set was acquired. Unfortunately, the written record as it exists is silent on how and when the original set of lights came on to the scene.

SHELTERS

he shelters over the six benches between the two greens were designed and installed by the late Ken Mawle. He erected the prototype in July 1999; the remaining shelters followed soon after with members financing their construction. The shelters have proved to be an invaluable amenity, and are another example of the ingenuity, resourcefulness and volunteer spirit that members have exhibited throughout the Club’s history.

MAINTENANCE SHED

new maintenance shed designed by John Nadin was built in 2004 at the Western end of Carnarvon House to ease pressures on the existing facility and to provide additional space for the greens maintenance equipment. He was ably assisted by Jon Magwood and Hugh Dobbie on the construction and electrical aspects, and by Vern McBeth on the painting of the structure upon its completion.

Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club

Presidents

A.W. Greaves

1954-56

G. Macdonald

1972-73

John Bond

1986-88

C.N. Wood

1956-58

C.H. Boulton

1973-75

Ridley Carver

1988-90

C. Wells

1958-59

A. Leahy

1975-76

John Anderson

1990-92

W. Gow

1959-61

C. Trigg

1976-77

Joan Garwood

1992-94

G.A. Vandervoort

1961-63

C. Gilbart

1977-78

Mavis Beechey

1994-96

R.W. Wilkinson

1963-64

S. Gibbons

1978-79

Fred McLeod

1996-97

F.D. White

1964-65

F. Appleton

1979-80

Sheldon Rowell

1997-98

W.J. Green

1965-67

C.Waller / D.Armstrong

1980-81

John Mackay

1998-99

A. Westaway

1967-69

P. Colbert

1981-82

Lorraine Neumair

1999-2000

F. Appleton

1969-70

D. Armstrong

1982-83

Murray Roberston

2000-01

R.W. Lang

1970-71

A. McMillan

1983-84

Linda Cowie

2001-03

C. Hodgson

1971-72

Lee Jameson

1984-86

Barry Browning

2003-04

(The Presidents for the first thirty years were all men, and their names above are listed with initials only. Lee Jameson became the first female President; her name and the names of her successors are all set out in full to mark the transition from the early phase of the Club’s history.)

Presidents – currently in Victoria

BARRY BROWNING

2003 - 2004

arry Browning was educated in England at Headlands Grammar School and then at the training ship, HMS WORCESTER in preparation for a career in the merchant navy. Some time at sea convinced him that long absences from home were not conducive to a stable home life so he migrated to Canada in 1956 to become a navigation officer in Transport Command, RCAF.

In 1961 a medical condition caused a loss of his flying status and he left the air force to pursue a degree at the University of Western Ontario. Three year’s high school teaching convinced him that there were greener fields in educational administration and he ended that phase of his life as Registrar of the University of Manitoba. In 1975 he entered law school at the University of Manitoba and, after graduating in 1978, moved with his family to Victoria where he entered the private practice from which he retired.

Married to the former Mary Scribbins of Clinton, Ontario in 1957 and with children and grandchildren in Belgium, Prince George and Victoria, travel is one of his pursuits actively followed in parallel to bowls. His interest in bowls was nurtured by a year’s membership at the Victoria club before he and Mary moved up Island in 1994 when they became members at the Qualicum Beach club. He took his coaching certification in 1995 and his umpire qualification in 1996. Mary and Barry joined the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club in 1997 upon their return to Victoria and since then he has served on five executives as games chair, chair of player development and vice president before assuming the presidency in October 2003.

LINDA COWIE

2001 - 2003

inda was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1945 and emigrated with her parents to Canada in 1952.

During the ensuing 10 years she returned to Scotland eight times, and on the last voyage she met Gordon, her future husband. They were married in 1966 and lived in Hamilton (Scotland) until 1971. Two sons were born during that time. While in Scotland, Linda worked for the Inland Revenue (Tax Department) for six years.

In 1971 the family migrated to Canada and settled in Waterdown, Ontario where they stayed for eight years. They then spent two years in Rothesay, New Brunswick, returning to Ontario in 1981.

In 1982 Linda enrolled in the Kemptville Agricultural College where she graduated two years later with a diploma in Food Service Supervision. With diploma in hand, she and two friends started a catering company. Following that experience she accepted a position in an Ottawa hospital and in 1991 moved to Mississauga. The following year both she and Gordon started bowling at the small club located in the heart of Streetsville.

They moved to Victoria in 1994 continuing their bowling with membership in the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowls Club followed by membership in the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club.

Linda and Gordon have, with the new addition to the family in August, four grand children.

MURRAY ROBERTSON

2000 - 2001

urray Robertson was born and raised in Rainy River, Ontario. In 1950 he moved to Winnipeg where he entered the apprentice program of the Canadian National Railway. Over the years that followed, he held various supervisory and management positions within the CNR.

Murray’s career took him from Winnipeg to The Pas, Gillam, Montreal, Saskatoon and finally back to Winnipeg as a senior manager in the Motive Power Shop. In 1988, after 38 years with the CNR, he retired.

Murray met and married his wife, Harriet, in the late 1950’s. They have three children: Jane (in Toronto), Ian (in Victoria) and Anne (in Winnipeg). They also have four beautiful grandchildren: Elly, Ian, Thea and Aaron.

After retiring in 1988, Murray and Harriet moved to Vancouver Island and have lived in Sidney, James Bay, Qualicum Beach and are now residing in Oak Bay.

Murray’s introduction to lawn bowling came about at Qualicum Beach in 1993. Since then he has become an avid bowler. As well as enjoying the game, for the past few years at Oak Bay, Murray has served on the Executive Committee, and he has been one of the mainstays of keeping the greens in top playing condition.

LORRAINE NEUMAIR

1999 - 2000

orraine graduated from high school in Hamilton, Ontario, where she then worked as a bookkeeper for a couple of years. She then traveled to Banff, Alberta where she worked for a full summer and where she also met Al. They were married back in Hamilton a year later while she was again working as a bookkeeper for a steel company. They moved to Burlington, Ontario in 1960. Lorraine stayed home during the next fifteen years to raise their daughter and their son. In 1975 she worked part-time at home for a small accounting firm, going to work full-time two years later for the same company. Eventually she became the Office Manager and worked there until they moved to Victoria in 1993.

Lorraine was introduced to lawn bowling in Ontario by her sister, but found she did not have much time for the game since she was still working. Upon retirement to Victoria in 1993, Al and Lorraine watched lawn bowling at the Victoria Club over a couple of summers.

They came in contact with Oak Bay members, Phyllis and Fred Rabbits, who mentioned that lessons were being offered at the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club. They became members in 1995 and Lorraine went on the executive as Treasurer in September of that year.

In August, 1999, the position of Vice-President became vacant and Lorraine was appointed to fill that position until the AGM in October. She then took on the position of Club President for the 1999-2000 year and served as Past President the following year. She retained her position as Treasurer as well during this time, retiring from the executive in September, 2003.

JOHN MACKAY

1998 - 1999

ohn [Mac] Mackay was born and raised in China. At the age of 13 he was interned by the Japanese. After his release at the end of the 2^nd World War he left China, as he realized he needed to further his education. He traveled to England where he attended Henley Tutorial College. Upon graduation he joined Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Co. as an apprentice electrical engineer. During his time with this company he met and married his wife Joan. They emigrated to Canada in 1952, landing here with $125 and no job.

John soon secured employment at Canadian Westinghouse in Hamilton, Ontario, where, after working in several departments, he became Superintendent of Manufacturing in the Small Motor Division. His next career move was to ITT [Canada] Ltd. where he spent the next nine years, ultimately ending up as the president of the company.

John then joined the Federal Government of Canada and enjoyed 15 years of employment as a Deputy Minister, first of all with the Post Office, where his mandate was to mechanize sortation and also to put in place the national postal code; then to Public Works for eight years where he was involved in many projects across Canada.

John and Joan have two daughters, Alyson and Anne, and four grandchildren, Scott, Cameron, Lindsay and Lesley.

The Mackays have traveled widely and John’s hobbies include tennis, curling, bowling and being Mr. Fixit around the house.

SHELDON M. ROWELL

1997 - 1998

hel was born in New Westminster, BC and spent the early part of his life in a small village on Burrard Inlet, later moving back to New Westminster where he completed his junior high and high school education. Perhaps the most notable event during his high school life was meeting Barbara Macgowan.

In December 1942 Shel joined the RCAF and trained as a pilot. He then transferred to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and prepared for operations in the Pacific theater. With completion of the war he was demobilized and with his new ‘de-mob’ suit returned to Canada to continue his studies at the University of British Columbia.

In 1947 he was asked if he would be interested in joining the newly formed Naval Aviation branch of the Royal Canadian Navy and as he had a desire to continue flying he said “yes”. He then asked Barbara to marry him and after considerable thought with much input from her family and relatives, both good and not so good, she agreed. They were married in 1947. Shel remained with the RCN until retirement in 1976. They enjoyed a much traveled life during Shel’s naval career and even found time to raise four children, two girls and two boys.

A naval career covers a wide spectrum of activities but Shel mentions only a couple of highlights that were of special interest to him. Although a pilot, he was also required to qualify as a ship’s officer, and he did. The highlight of this period was a tour of duty as Operations Officer aboard a destroyer in Korea during the Korean War. On return from Korea, he went back to flying and was later appointed to the United States Naval Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, to train and qualify as an Engineering Test Pilot. He then spent many years specializing in experimental test and development flying for the RCN.

After retiring from the RCN, Shel began a new career and first joined an international consulting firm working in Iran. Later, liking his independence, he formed his own company and continued in the aviation consulting business with the majority of his work being conducted is Asia. Shel and Barbara worked and traveled together – Iran, Columbia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines and at last working in what became his favourite spot – Nepal, which he and Barbara visited many times.

In 1992 Barbara and Shel decided to turn in their golf clubs and take up bowling as a sport they could both enjoy. They soon found that not only did they enjoy the game but they also enjoyed the many activities at the Club. Most importantly they enjoyed the wonderful people they met through their association with the game of Lawn Bowls.

In 1994 they decided to ‘give up working’ and to ‘concentrate on bowling’.

FRED MCLEOD

1996 - 1997

hen Joan and Fred moved to Victoria in 1991 they renewed their friendship with Marilyn and Ray Jones who had been their neighbours in Vancouver but were now residing in Victoria. It was Marilyn who saw the sign about joining the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club and talked Joan and Fred into joining also. Since then they lay claim to about 200 friends (bowlers all) in this wonderful city.

Joan and Fred grew up in Vancouver and met during their time spent at Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Shortly after Fred went back to the University of British Columbia to complete a degree in education, they were blessed with two children: daughter, Cathy, and son, Jeff. They lived most of their working days in the Dunbar area of Vancouver and spent holiday times at their cabin on Mayne Island.

Always one to get involved, it wasn’t long before Joan and Fred were engaged in all aspects of the Oak Bay club. Following his time as vice-president under Mavis Beechey, Fred took on the president’s role. In his term he was most probably best known for the Club pens and the “special” sherry days. It was the fortieth anniversary of the Club and he began the EXCEL CLUB (a pun on the XL for 40). For each forty points collected for participation, that bowler would receive a pen. The pen entitled the bowler to a glass of sherry that was served from Fred’s cut glass bowl on those “tea” days when he was present. It was fun and everyone enjoyed it.

Another accomplishment that Fred is proud of is the publication of the Club Newsletter. He did that for about seven years and tried to make it both informative and fun to read. Now he cuts grass on one of the greens-keeping teams and helps with the evening and Thursday “special” draws.

The Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club has been a very enjoyable part of Fred’s life for the past 14 years and he thanks all the members for the opportunity to have served and taken part in the Club’s activities. “What’s next? Who knows?” asks Fred.

MAVIS BEECHEY

1994 - 1996

avis Beechey, born Mavis Oakes, in Staffordshire, grew up in a small village near Malvern, Worcestershire, England. She married R.A.F. Flight Sergeant Donald Beechey on January 16th, 1947. Their son Michael was born February 18th, 1948. In September 1949 they emigrated to Canada where they lived in Toronto and Weston, Ontario until retiring to Victoria in 1978. They became grandparents to Dylan Christopher in 1985 and to Robin in 1989.

A stay-at-home mom until 1960, Mavis ran her own decorating and colour consulting store for 15 years and then for three years was a representative and importer of Airport and Communications light equipment. Mavis was an active volunteer over the years with a wide range of activities to her credit.

Mavis and Don joined the Club in April 1990. That summer she was the club Ladies Novice Champion and was second in the South Island Novice Championships. In October 1990 she came on to the Club executive and served in various capacities until 1997.

She organized the Club’s Garage Sale from 1993 to 2003 and helped raise nearly $17,000 for the Club over that ten year period.

Highlights of the years that Mavis served as an executive member are:

(a) the refurbishing of what was then called “The Old Clubhouse”. The budget for this was approximately $850 and the work was organized by Don Walker and Fred Monpetit. The painting was done by other club members; Joan Arnott and Mavis donated and made the curtains and wallpapered the ladies washroom;

(b) the purchasing, with donations from club members, of the benches placed around the greens;

(c) the hosting of Team Singapore and Team Canada during the Mazda Pacific Rim Games in 1993. The Club was asked, at very short notice, to cater a “Happy Hour” for 85 to 90 guests, followed by a sit down dinner for 61 persons. Club members rallied around; Barbara Rowell baked two hams for the dinner and Ian Gilbert carved them. In 1994 as a special assignment, Mavis was the Club representative for the Commonwealth Games, coordinating practice sessions at the Club for some of the teams taking part. The Club’s legacy from this was a special first aid kit, three wheeled garbage cans, approximately $600 of pop, juice coffee and a large quantity of garbage bags. The Club also received a certificate from Lawn Bowls Canada in recognition of the support given during the Mazda Pacific Rim Games and the Commonwealth Games.

JOAN GARWOOD

1992 - 1994

oan Garwood was born in rural Saskatchewan and moved to Regina after completing her schooling. She met Ken on the tennis courts; they were married in 1953 and raised a family of five. The years passed very quickly with involvement in Scouts, Guides, band and extra school activities. The family fun was camping at every opportunity – weekends and summer holidays (quite a few out to British Columbia).

Joan’s brother, Bob Wilson and his wife Megan, had retired to Victoria many years before and were very accomplished bowlers so Joan and Ken joined them right away on their arrival. They spent their days bowling; practice in the morning, draw in the afternoon and in the evenings often “let’s roll a few’. Bob and Megan encouraged them and gave them added incentive to do well.

After starting to play in competitions, Joan came to realize that she was very competitive and would end up as a lot of players do, playing three tournaments a week. She played in every tournament in South Island, North Island, BC Week, and Seniors Games. In 1991 Joan and Ken went to the US Open in California with Bob and Megan Wilson and Steve and Robin Forrest. With the exception of two years, Joan played in the US Open each year. In 1996 she won the title of Bowler of the Week. It was hard work playing seventeen games in six days, but what a thrill to play bowlers from all over the world.

Joan was president of Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club in 1993 and 1994, the years of the Pacific Bowls and Commonwealth Games – busy years but very significant events for all Victoria bowling clubs.

Joan teamed up with Jan MacNaughton in 1995 to play in the Seniors pairs; they won a bronze medal. In 1997 they won the gold in the Provincials and the silver in the Nationals, losing by a very close measure. In 1998 they won the Provincial gold and bronze at the Nationals.

In 1997 Joan was elected Chairman of the Athletic Development and Training Committee for BC Bowls. During her three year term in office a program of training camps was developed to bridge the gap between novice bowlers and the Canadian Team hopefuls. The camps have been well received and are now being held annually in each district of BC with bowlers attending each camp. Thanks to Joan, this is a legacy that has benefited and that continues to benefit bowlers in BC. She was given a Volunteer Award in 2001 for her work with the Committee.

In 1997 Joan and Ken moved down near Beacon Hill Park and became members of Victoria Lawn Bowls. Joan takes great pleasure in coming back to visit Oak Bay and meeting club members on the greens in competitions.

Jubilee Year Executive

President – Barry Browning
1^st Vice President – Mickey Sendall
2^nd Vice President – Harnam Grewal
Past President – Linda Cowie
Secretary – Myrna Henley(1^st half)/Sheila Cahill(2^nd half)
Treasurer – David Jantzi
Games – John Cossom
Greens/Gardens – John Nadin
Buildings & Grounds – Stan Turner
House – Primrose Wood
Member at Large – Joan Firkins
Member at Large - Publicity – Gwynne Russell
Member at Large - Cleaning/Logistics – Claude Campbell

Jubilee Year Special Events

everal initiatives designed to recognize the Club’s Jubilee Year were implemented by the Executive during 2004. All clubs in the South Island bowls district were invited to be guests at regular tea draws through out the summer. A semi-formal dinner attracted 106 members and guests, among whom were the Honourable Ida Chong, MLA for Oak Bay, Mayor Christoper Causton and June Byers, Bowls South Island Presidents’ Council Chair. The purchase of a new set of bowls bearing the Club’s Jubilee logo was authorized, to be the subject of a special draw for all members at the Annual General Meeting. Finally, a volunteer recognition award was instituted whereby volunteer endeavour beyond the norm on the part of members was formally acknowledged on a weekly basis, with those selected designated as Jubilee Members.

Jubilee Members

Week 1 -	Fran McAdoo
Week 2 -	Joan Gowan
Week 3 -	Nancy Newton
Week 4 -	Shel Rowell
Week 5 -	Murray Robertson
Week 6 -	Jody Robinson
Week 7 -	John Nadin
Week 8 -	Gary Robinson
Week 9 -	Murray Robertson
Week 10 -	Vern McBeth
Week 11 -	Linda Cowie
Week 12 -	Shel Rowell
Week 13 -	Jon Magwood
Week 14 -	Prim Wood
Week 15 -	Gerry May
Week 16 -	John Nadin
Week 17 -	Joan Firkins
Week 18 -	Dave Jantzi
Week 19 -	Gordon Cowie
Week 20 -	Dolores Troyer
Week 21 -	Don Walker

Also Nominated

Ted van der Vliet, Pat Metcalfe, George Davey, Michael Lum, Marilyn Wright, Harnam Grewal, Hal Yardley, Fred McLeod, Mickey Sendall, Eric Ballinger, Hugh Dobbie, Phyllis West, Anne Nadin, Joan Mackay, Marion Woiblet, Mary Browning, Phil Bissell, Gord Lough, Art Antrobus, Lawrie Matheson, and Henriette Ballinger.

Note: All Jubilee Members and nominees had an additional chance in the Jubilee Bowls Draw that was held at the Annual General Meeting.

Jubilee Bowls

The set of new bowls to mark the Golden Jubilee was won by John Mackay whose name was drawn at the Annual General Meeting on October 23, 2004.

Life Memberships