Happy Valley Bowling Club

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:20): I am using my time today to talk about some of the sporting clubs I have had the pleasure of supporting in my electorate. I have been involved in sport all my life, along with many other members in this house, and it really is one of my priorities to support. The people of Fisher have a high degree of enthusiasm for sport and participation as families. Particularly at this time of the year, the passion is really evident. The traditional sports of football, netball, tennis and cricket are well represented from a club point of view, and I thoroughly enjoy attending these clubs regularly to support their participation, as well as attending many local schools to watch their sports there, which also includes soccer.

Firstly, though, I will talk at length about the Happy Valley Bowling Club. I have made many friends at the club and found them a really welcoming and friendly community. They have a great vision and enthusiasm, with a desire to engage in the community across a range of generations. In fact, their vision is not only to be a successful bowling club but also to be a very valuable part of the community by helping to introduce younger people to lawn bowls and building family involvement, plus giving the elderly an activity and a sense of belonging and worth in their latter years.

Over the past couple of years, I have spent time guiding and directing them regarding some funding opportunities and supporting them with their strategic planning. Recently, they have had small grant successes which have enabled the purchase of 16 sets of bowls for use in their highly successful night owls competition and social bowling. Small funding opportunities such as offered by government agencies, including the Office for Recreation and Sport in its Active Club Program, provide great platforms for growth and future development.

The Happy Valley Bowling Club was formed in 1983. It has gradually grown over the years from a small semi-country bowls club into a well-respected and successful metropolitan club, winning many pennant titles along the way. Recent successes are highlighted by the top ladies team, who last year finished minor round premiers in the state premier league. This is the highest level for women's bowling in the state pennant league competition.

Rather dramatic growth started in 2014 when Bill Downing, Bob Beaton and Ian Farrows approached the club board with a vision of conducting come-and-try days. The group wanted to bring young families and the elderly to the club so that the club could grow and the local community could experience the fun of lawn bowls. In 2014 and 2015, around 200 people attended these come-and-try days. They were so successful that the club was able to start a second evening of night owls, accommodating an extra 120 social bowlers every Thursday night during summer.

Many of these bowlers have now progressed into pennant bowls, allowing the club to increase the number of teams competing on a regular basis.I entered my family in the Thursday night competition last summer and we look forward to playing in it again this coming summer. I am quite confident that none of us, however, is a threat to the pennant competition at this point. Probably our 15 year old is the biggest threat.

The new club president, Ian Farrows, who took over last season from club stalwart, Gibson Atherton, tells me that one of the wonderful things about obtaining a grant for the new bowls is that most of these new bowlers can now practise and play in night owls using the same quality bowls as pennant bowlers. This will help enormously their development, confidence and progression into pennant bowling. He has seen me bowl and I do not think I am included in that description. The addition of these new bowls also helps bowlers attending future come-and-try days to be taught right from the beginning using the best available bowls.

The Happy Valley Bowling Club is now in a position to investigate the possibility of inviting local high schools to bring students along to experience lawn bowls as well, a fabulous intergenerational relationship-building opportunity. They are a huge asset to our community. Thank you so much to the volunteers at the Happy Valley Bowling Club; you do a fantastic job. I look forward to attending the season launch this Sunday and apologise in advance for the first bowl that I have been asked to bowl. Be prepared for the donation for the wrong bias that may be coming your way after such a long break.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate other local performers in recent winter sporting competitions. Congratulations to the Hub Netball Club on a very successful Southern United Netball Association winter season with premierships across a number of senior and junior competitions. In particular, the success of their A grade women continued back to back, with individual success for my dear friend and captain, Kendyl Dunk, who took out the best and fairest for the season, and Brooke Duffield, who took out the runner up.

The Hub were narrowly beaten by a wonderful Clarendon outfit in the Southern Hills A grade grand final, with Clarendon also winning two other finals on the day. Well done to the Reynella Football Club under 16s on their back-to-back undefeated season, and the Happy Valley under 18s who were beaten in the grand final but a great achievement to make it there. Well done.