WRITTEN BY GREGG KABLE. PUBLICITY OFFICER, CENTRAL COAST COMMITTEE.
After several days of torrential rain on the Central Coast it was just like a modern miracle when the sun burst through the clouds and provided us with the best, sunniest day we could ask for. Inspired by this turn of events, the members and their guests assembled at Ettalong Bowling Club at 8am sharp to support our Annual 2024 Bowls Day. With tremendous promotion both in the press and local radio, attendee numbers were overwhelming… accounting for one of the largest attendances to date.
We are lucky to have Mr ‘Bowls’, Johnny Roberts, with us, together with over 150 men and women registered and organised into teams filling three rinks to capacity. The day began with what is known as the ‘Spider, where every player bowls a single bowl to see who can get closest to the jack. Always a great way to get everyone into the mood.
As the day took off, there were plenty of colour and tall tales shared – some true, some not – so true was the order of the day, from old footballers with many icy cold schooners reaching the lips early to quench a bunch of very thirsty Bowlers.
After the bowls side of things was complete, the indoor component of the day was introduced by Committee Member Leigh Peacock who gave all the patrons a rundown of the day’s proceedings. Followed by a terrific piece from the Family of League Wellbeing Officer, Chloe Minehan, explaining her role in the foundation and outlining what we do for the men, women and children of the rugby league fraternity. Lunch was then served by the hard working voluntary committee of Ettalong Bowling Club, who’s support we greatly appreciate… not to mention their great BBQ feed with a bargain basement fee of $25.
Raffles were well supported as usual, with great prizes supplied by all our sponsors of the day. Our President, Neville Glover, and Treasurer, Lance Henry, were instrumental in getting some quality sporting memorabilia for our auctions… hosted by (yours truly) Gregg Kable. Again, the bids were hot and fast right throughout the afternoon, with all merchandise reaching their individual reserve figures. So, thank you to all!
Family of League’s Event Manager, Doug Keane, also contributed with a silent auction, including some outstanding items up for bids. This proved a masterstroke, as the bids were hotly contested with some excellent figures providing a handsome return.
Attempting to entertain the crowd, I delivered some old gags… scoring a few belly laughs which kept the crowd entertained.
We were also fortunate to have in our midst former State of Origin and rugby League test player, Jim Leis, who shared experiences from his great career; and had all in the room hanging off every word. Jim was informative with plenty of stories about his illustrious career at Wests, Canterbury & Cronulla, and we thank Jim so much for his time.
In conclusion, we raised over $7,000 on the day. An acknowledgement to the hard working Family of League committee members, providing one of our best results to date. Finally, a special thank you to the board staff and management of Ettalong Bowling Club, for their hospitality every year.