CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTATIONS – As announced today prior to the first Sat pennant practice match, we will hold the  Presentation of Prizes for last season’s championships.     We apologise for the late notice, but unfortunately we’ve been unable to plan too far ahead due to recent covid-19 changes to restrictions.    WE WOULD BE PLEASED IF ALL PLAYERS CAN BE AT THE CLUB NO LATER THAN 11.30AM ON SATURDAY 21ST MARCH.

PENNANT PRACTICE –  please put your names down for pennant practice matches    Sat practice match is 1pm 14th and 21st Nov.  Tue practice match is 10am 17th and 24th Nov.  If you don’t have your name down you can still come along and you’ll get a game.   Mufti.

Pennant start dates are Sat 28th Nov and Tue 1st Dec.  GO BARKERS!!

OPEN PRESIDENT’S HANDICAP.  After many postponements due to Covid, the final was played on Thursday 5th November.   It was a very close game with a final score of 21-19.  Congratulations to the winner Ian McLeod and Runner Up John Baker.     Photo is at the bottom of the champions page.      ENTRIES  are now on the notice board for 2020-2021 championships starting with Mens & Ladies Singles, Minor Open Singles, Mens & Ladies Pairs, and Mixed Triples.      Entries start closing 14th Nov so don’t miss out – get your entry in ASAP.

UPDATE 27TH OCT 2020:
Following yesterday’s State Government’s easing of COVID -19 restrictions we are pleased to announce that Club rooms will be open from 10:00am Wednesday 28th Oct. This includes the Bar which will be open from 3:00pm until 7:00pm with a maximum of 20 patrons (inside) at any one time. All members are required to sign in and out in the book at the entrance.

It is essential that we all adhere to the COVID-19 requirements to ensure a safe and lasting return and we thank you for your co-operation during this period.

So on behalf of the Board of Management, welcome back and we look forward to seeing you at the Club.

UPDATE 27TH OCT 2020:  NIGHT PENNANT
BowlsVic has announced NIGHT PENNANT will start from 12th January 2021. If you want to be in the team, please contact TONY McDONALD as soon as possible, as he has to get the entry form in early November. Please ring him on 9723 1768 after hours.

We’re hopeful of getting back to bowls by next Tuesday 20th October, depending on what Dan announces.     Assuming the news will be good, the rink booking calendar will be live from Sunday shortly after the announcements.    

In order for the greens to be ready for a shorter pennant season which we think may start in January (TBC), major maintenance has been done on the 2 grass greens that would normally have been done over the Xmas break.  Unfortunately this means that we will only have the synthetic available for 1-2 weeks when we return to bowls.  However with the booking calendar,  we can fit 40 players per day into the 4 x 90min sessions available (assuming only 10 per green restrictions) and we’ll be open Tue-Sun. We apologise that more greens won’t be available, but on the bright side – this means we won’t close at Xmas and can play and get some pennant practice all through the Xmas period in readiness for a great pennant season in 2021.

If you find no spots available on the booking calendar (i.e. all greyed out), please contact Jackie as it may be that some spots may have been booked by only 1 person, in which case she may be able to book you in with someone else.

To get a copy of the most recent BOWLSVIC newsletters emailed to your inbox, subscribe at www.bowlsvic.org.au

FROM THE BOARD – 17TH AUGUST 2020

The Board continues to hold  regular phone meetings to try and keep up with what is happening or in most cases not happening. A number of COVID-19 requirements are being addressed at the moment; these include the Club COVID Safe Plan as required by Bowls Victoria and the Sate Government plus the Permitted Worker Permit.

As you are aware we have not held our AGM this year and therefore decided we needed to produce an Annual Report that could be sent to Members. This has been completed and will be sent to Members via email or posted, a copy will also be placed on the Club Website.

The Bowls Section President Neil Johnson has decided to step down and the Board would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication during his 4 years as President. The Club will formally acknowledge his contribution once we reopen. The Presidency will be in the very capable hands of Neville Roper until further notice.

So please look out for the Annual Report which details what has happened this most unusual year. Let’s hope September brings us some better times and we can get back on the greens even if it is in a limited way so Take Care and Stay Safe.

Board of Management

FROM THE BOARD

A BIG “Thank you” to all members for your support and understanding during the Club closure. We hope you are all looking after yourselves and managing to find ways to fill in the long days with new and interesting activities and projects.

Some of you may not be aware that since the COVID-19 restrictions were introduced and the Clubhouse was closed we have not had a paid cleaner. Consequently, one of the main reasons that bowls roll-ups are not permitted at this time is that the outside toilets and cleaning of bowls equipment (mats, jacks, etc.) would need to be done by volunteers. This is a big ask and would require some training in correct cleaning procedures to comply with COVID-19 level requirements. We thank Stephen Rawlingson for the cleaning he did do when social bowls was allowed.

The situation with the AGM is that it will not be happening for at least the next 3 months, as the State Government has granted an Extension of Time for Incorporated Clubs like ours. Please note that all Directors have agreed to continue in their current roles until further notice – which may be next year. (Who knows?!) We will be working on the Annual Report which we hope to have available for members by mid-August. Even though we have very little income, apart from some small grants we have received from the State Government, the Club’s finances are holding up at this time.

Unfortunately, the 2020-2021 Yearbook is on hold until we receive the next Pennant Season fixtures (if indeed there is to be a next Pennant Season!) That is out of our control.

We are continuing to monitor the pandemic situation and will advise you of any changes and updates as soon as we are aware of them. Take care and stay safe.

Board of Management

21 July 2020

Notice to All Members – Covid-19

Board of Management
9th July 2020

Coaching Update

Sad news all pennant finals now cancelled which is a pity as our mid-week and weekend sides were showing all the signs of making it all the way to the top!!!  Please take that momentum into the new season.    At this stage it is proposed to have a “BOOT CAMP” coaching session for all members on Sunday 26th July 11:00am to 1:00pm.  The focus will be on leads and seconds but even experienced “back-end” bowlers can do with a back-to-basics session.    The “Boot Camp” session will be held according to all of the social distancing and Covid19 rules applying at that time.

GREENS ARE RE-OPENING!!!   

FINANCE AND MEMBERSHIP FEES

As you are all aware the Club closed its doors on Monday 23^rd March 2020. Since this time the Club’s cash flow has effectively stopped.

The Board has undertaken some cost saving measures which have been implemented to save money for the foreseeable future. This includes suspending the following:

• Weekly rubbish collection
• Sanitary waste disposal services
• Club Cleaning services
• Receipt of refund of Liquor Licence Fees (a gesture from the State Government)

We are currently awaiting the claim for the break in which occurred late last year, this will amount to around $12,000.00. We are also investigating a cash injection for not for profits which has been offered by the Federal and State Governments, to continue to pay utilities bills etc.

At this stage the Annual General Meeting which was scheduled for 17^th May 2020, has been postponed until further notice. The Board will continue to function in its present form until a suitable time can be arranged to hold an AGM.

In regard to membership fees the Board has agreed that there will be no change to fees for the coming season, that being $190.00 membership fee and $60.00 affiliation fee.  All other categories of membership will remain the same.

We are acutely aware that the facility you have paid to use is not available at the moment, and probably won’t be for some time.

We are asking for your support (should you be in a position to do so) to keep the Club viable and ready for resumption of activities next season.

To this end, we have agreed to send out membership invoices for the 2020-2021 season in the coming weeks. If you are in a position to do so we are asking for membership to be paid by 31^st May 2020. This will enable some cash flow during this down time.

As an incentive to pay early we will offer a $20.00 discount on next year’s membership to those who can pay by 31^st May 2020.

We are also aware in these uncertain times that it may not be possible for all of our members to assist us. If you are struggling to pay your fees at any time, please contact the Club via email at mooroolbarkbowlsclub@gmail.com and we will look to assist where we can.

In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you back at the Club in the not too distant future.

Stephen Rawlingson
Finance Director

A FEW WORDS FROM THE COACH

What do I want to tell the bowlers during this break from bowls?

Your health, safety and well-being are paramount in the days, weeks and months ahead.
I wish that you all get to the end of this in a good place physically, mentally and financially.

Everything else comes a distant second.

What do I want to say about the year we just had?

WOW, what a great club Mooroolbark is, what a great outcome some of our pennant sides achieved, and what a great bunch of new friends I now have. But you know, it could have been better.

More people need to use my knowledge, more people can improve their game by training and practicing. Maybe this break may make us keen to take the next step.

I will be there for you!

What do we want to achieve next season?

MORE!!!!!

More sunny days, more members, more pennants, more fun, more bowlers discovering new ways of doing things.

What Don’t we want?

VIRUSES!!!

Happy 80th Birthday to one of our club’s stalwarts Kay Rawlingson.

Congratulations to all our new champions to date.

Please visit our Champions page to see who’s winning and their photos.
Entries for  championship events running early 2020 are on the noticeboard.  You have to enter to win!!

2019-2020 Men’s Singles Champion Steve Rawlingson
2019-2020 Ladies’ Singles Champion Mandy Carter

(Note: photos of our pennant milestone players are now on the new page PENNANT MILESTONES.    Look for it as a dropdown under the PENNANT page button)

NEW COACH

Mooroolbark Bowls Club is proud to announce the appointment of Henny Cortenbach as our Head Coach/Players Mentor for season 2019/2020.

Henny joins Mooroolbark from Mulgrave CC and brings with him a wealth of experience having been involved in the game for over 30 years.

Henny addressed the members at our recent AGM and made it clear that he welcomes calls from members who need help to improve their game.

Henny can be contacted on 0418 530 247.

Click here for further contact details and details of the Coach’s Role.