Bowlers in a Far South Coast town have expressed their anger at a decision to shut down their local bowling greens.
Management have informed members that continuing to maintain the greens at Club Dalmeny is not financially viable with bowlers offered use of similar facilities at Club Narooma 6km’s away once the closure occurs next year.
Vanessa Wineera from Save Dalmeny Greens says the bowlers or the Duskys, as they’re known, are devastated.
“It’s everything to them. It’s the friendships that they’ve made. It’s the comradery that they have and not only for the bowlers but for so many other people that use the facility as well,” Ms Wineera said.
“The Duskys, they’re like a family,” she said.
The club has told us they have no comment to make but referred us to a letter sent to all members which cites financial reasons for the decision.
But lawn bowling members say they don’t understand how maintaining their greens is no longer financially viable.
“There is at least 90 local regular bowlers that use the greens every week,” Ms Wineera said.
“Our Facebook page has started reaching further than just our local community and on there we have many people saying that they you know love the greens there and are disappointed to here because they’ve travelled down and played on those greens,” she said.
“The bowlers are concerned if they lose the greens what will happen next?
“What’s a bowling club without its bowling greens!
“Chances are it will become even less viable once the greens have gone. This land that we’re talking about here is where the greens are is actually core land so it’s safeguarded under the Registered Clubs Act.”
Local residents are being urged this morning to get behind a campaign to reverse a decision to close the bowling greens at Club Dalmeny next year.
Save Dalmeny Greens have posted a petition up on their Facebook page which has already attracted a lot of signatures signatures in the first few days.
The group has also pointed out the historic nature of the much loved bowling greens.
“It dates back to pre-World War 1 and there’s a gentleman here who’s almost 90, his grandfather was the original owner of the land,” Ms Wineera said.
“If we take it a little bit further Gerry Moss, he built a home near the bowling greens in Dalmeny and he raffled off and then those funds were the funds that the locals used to build the bowlo club,” she said.
