Happy 90th birthday, Graaff-Reinet Bowling Club!

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The Graaff-Reinet Bowling Club is celebrating its 90th birthday this coming Tuesday on 6 April.

This historic club was officially opened by Herbert Urquhart MBE , the longest serving mayor of Graaff-Reinet (1915 to 1936) on 6 April 1931.

Congratulations and warmest wishes from the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser team. Club Secretary Pam Neuweiler wrote the following entertaining piece which we gladly share with our readers.

Since it's inaugural opening, the bowling club has grown enormously. Over the years, the number of greens has increased to three, the clubhouse building has been added on to at least once (if not twice, the records are vague), and member numbers have fluctuated enormously.

The more long-standing members of the club delight in telling us 'newbies' of the 'days of yore', when the ladies and gentlemen bowlers were strictly separated, even playing at different times! One is told that there was a big bending of the rules once a month, when the gents and lady bowlers were allowed to play together.

This image of bowler, Robert Kingwill, depicts the joy of bowling!
Photo: Paula-Ann Smit

How times have changed... Nowadays, we all enjoy our mixed bowling, men and women, old and young, old hands and newcomers to the game, playing together, having an enormous amount of fun.

Many good, even excellent bowlers, have bowled their way to success, and still do, on and from our greens. Numerous lasting friendships have been formed - indeed more than one bowling couple have tied the knot in their very own clubhouse, having become acquainted through bowling.

The Graaff-Reinet Bowling Club has much to offer: a great outdoor sport in the most beautiful surroundings, much fun and camaraderie and a feeling of togetherness among all our bowlers. Come and join us, either for a drink in our pub, a round of bowling on our greens, or just to say hello, and celebrate our club's 90th birthday with us.

Happy 90th birthday, Graaff-Reinet Bowling Club!

The club has 40 members, but eight could not make the recent photo shoot. Club President Niel Colyn, is seated third from right, Vice-President Pieter Nel is seated far right, and Club Secretary Pam Neuweiler, also the writer of the article, is seated second from left.