Reporting by Donna Blackstock
Betty Walker with yet another OBLBC trophy
I’M BACK! A year ago I was lucky enough to connect with long time Canadian Team member Leanne Chinery and share her remarkable story with the lawn bowling community here in Victoria where it all began.
I felt at the time that there were other stories to be told within our bowling community and decided to ask Betty Walker. So I sent her an email to make a gentle suggestion about the idea.
When Betty replied I was pleasantly surprised as she had recently been looking at “a few things” that she had in a box and agreed to get together! So, I was back in business and very happy to have a conversation with an Oak Bay Club member and someone I have played with several times and admired. Like my previous conversation with Leanne, my afternoon with Betty covered far more than I imagined. As the story goes, after a lot of persistent requests from her neighbours (the Corbeils) to come and try lawn bowling at the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club, Betty finally agreed to go to the indoor facility at Pearkes in September of 1992. She had such a good time she stayed all day!
Betty who was still working at the time, was keen to play in leagues and tournaments that the indoor provided. There were also a number of people who were keen to help new bowlers including Robin and Gill Spears from the Vic West Club.
The next Spring, 1993, Betty became a Victoria Lawn bowling Club member and was soon bowling in BSI tournaments. Her first bowls were size 00. As some early success at tournaments like the Rose Bowl and the Gold Bowl in Nanaimo provided some photographs, Betty decided to keep a photo album dedicated to lawn bowling. To me, those photos alone were worth the visit!
Another new bowler at the indoor when Betty started was Lynn McElroy. Lynn was just as keen, just as competitive, and just as willing as Betty to play with the best and at the top-level competition. These two players enjoyed much success together in Pairs and Fours competitions at the provincial level, the nationals and several US Open Championships.
Betty has wonderful memories of her time at the “Indoor” – in fact, one of her most cherished memories was winning the Canadian Indoor Championship at Pearkes in 2002. “I learned to control weight at the indoor and how to be precise”
Medal for the 2002 Canadian Indoors
Betty and Lynn both became top indoor singles bowlers and when Lynn won the Canadian Indoor in 2001, she asked if Betty would go with her to the World Indoor Championships. Betty agreed and when Betty won the next year and went to Belfast N. Ireland, she had a much greater awareness of what to expect at that level of competition. Luckily another Victoria Club member Nick Watkins also won the Canadian Indoor so it was great to have him there. By now Betty had “upped her game” and bought size 3 bowls, purchased from Nick. Betty trained those bowls VERY well and has been completely faithful to them over the years when others would have been tempted by colours or the latest model.
Lynn McElroy and Betty Walker
Bowls BC 2002 Team of the Year
It was not long before Betty started to skip. She spent many hours watching games and learning from successful skips. Betty credited Joan Garwood and Jan MacNaughton who provided guidance in the early years and encouragement to attend Can Am Championships. Often while bowling with Lynn, Graham Jarvis would watch and would say to them later, “I’ve got a tip”. Of course they welcomed his wisdom as he achieved so much experience during his career.
2002 National Champions: Betty Walker, Sheridan Elston, Lynn McElroy, Bev Johnson
From 2001- 2004 the fours team of Bev Johnson, Sheridan Elston (former Oak Bay member), Lynn McElroy and Betty Walker won the BC Championship and competed at the Nationals. In 2002 they won the gold medal in Regina. Later that year they received a Sport BC Award as Bowls BC Team of the Year.
In November of 2003 Betty travelled to Brisbane, Australia as a Canadian Team member for the Asia Pacific Bowls Championship. This was another major world bowling event that she could add to her list of remarkable experiences.
There was some fabulous clothing in her photos of her world travels. Of note was a red blazer she wore when she played a US Open at the famed Pinehurst Country Club in North Carolina. Other photos showed the indoor facility in Belfast, a variety of opening ceremonies and medal presentations, and the Juan de Fuca Club in 1998 where Betty and Lynn won the Nationals in Women’s Pairs.
Did Betty ever win a US Open? Yes!! The team was Leanne Chinery, her mom Katie Chinery, Lynn McElroy and Betty Walker. I will never tire of using the word highlight, as that was another one!
There was also a special photo from 1998 of a group of juniors who were at Juan de Fuca for the Canadian Junior Championships. Young bowlers in the group included Ryan Bester, Leanne Chinery and Steve Santana. Those young kids in 1998 certainly found their way!!
Betty, John Mclaughlan and Lynn McElroy
Betty, Rick Armstrong and German Santana
When Betty started skipping, she also wanted to play in more mixed events. One day someone said to her why don’t you ask John Maclachlan, he’s keen. So Betty did ask John, he happily agreed, and they became a regular fixture at many mixed events for years to come. Pictures below show John with Betty and Lynn McElroy and our own Rick Armstrong with Betty and German Santana.
Betty eventually became a member of the Oak Bay Club in 2009 as she wanted to connect with more competitive bowlers. She was wonderful about taking many of our women members to tournaments of all sorts, and made a real impact with our competitive women’s program.
The majority of my time on the green with Betty was during the annual Holiday Week. We chatted about when people came from outside the realm of BSI clubs and how wonderful the week was moving from Fours, to Singles, to Pairs to Triples between Monday and Saturday and each event was a major competition. When I mentioned the Dogwood Pins that were presented to winners, that was one perk that had been totally forgotten. Betty played Holiday Week until it ceased to exist.
It was an absolute pleasure to chat with Betty and remember so much in 2 hours. Betty was not only a special talent but a delightful competitor and a very humble champion. I knew her “few things in a box” would be absolute treasures and they were. Thanks for all the lives you touched through bowling, including mine!
Congratulations!