Gosford Bowling Club centenarian hangs out with ‘youngsters’

When you’re 100 years old and your bowling mates are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, they make you feel young says Joyce Corbett, who has been bowling at Gosford City Bowling Club for more than 30 years.

Joyce remembers when weddings and balls and discos were held in the bowling club’s former two-storey building with parking underneath.

“The top storey had views across the footy field and the waterfront,” she said.

Another player said that on a good day you could see all the way to Woy Woy and if you couldn’t you knew it was time to pack up for the day.

That building was demolished when Central Coast Stadium was built.

The current clubhouse is underneath part of the stadium and has no views.

Another bowler said Gosford City Bowling Club, with its three greens, one of them synthetic so wheelchair bowlers could use it, was the Bradman of lawn bowls and its legacy was untouchable.

“Any attempt to erase it is beyond comprehension and a disgrace to fairness and community spirit,” the bowler said.

“This is a battle against greed, concrete jungles, and those who put profit over people. Let’s protect history, not demolish it. Let’s unite and make it great again.”

The bowling club hosted a meeting last week with three Central Coast councillors who came to try to find a solution for the club which has been told to leave.

Central Coast Leagues Club (CCLC) says it is no longer interested in subsidising the club and will not sign a five-year lease with Central Coast Council.

Until late last year, the bowlers were expecting the CCLC to sign that final five-year lease, knowing the Council has long-term plans to sell off the land to private developers.

The club says it has been losing players ever since 2021 when Council first raised the idea of selling the land and its future has been under a cloud.

Despite this, it continues to attract the largest number of blind bowlers in the state, and offers bowling to stroke survivors and children who don’t like contact sport.

Barefoot bowls is a big drawcard.

Council is currently in the process of gaining State Government approval to change the status of the land from community to operational to allow the sale.

Meanwhile, CCLC has sold the front portion of the bowlers’ carpark which it owned until January 24.

The day before settlement the bowlers’ access to the car park was blocked.

In an email to members last week, CEO Bevan Paul said CCLC amalgamated with the struggling Gosford City Bowling Club on June 15, 1987, and has supported the bowling membership consistently and extensively since that time as one of CCLC’s many internal clubs.

“However, with declining membership and attendance, the cost to CCLC members has been steadily increasing, reaching $185,403 in the past financial year,” he said.

“The current five-year lease arrangement with Central Coast Council ended on December 9, 2024, and CCLC entered into a three-month extension period in November 2024 to give bowlers the opportunity to develop a business case for growing revenue and membership, as CCLC could no longer afford the growing costs of supporting the venue.

“Suggestions were put to the bowlers, including the relocation of their activities (with support from CCLC in doing so).

“However, the bowlers wished to remain at the current location and proposed gradually taking on overall management and operational costs of the venue.

“With that request in mind, CCLC responded with a proposal agreeing to enter into an additional lease funded by CCLC, as well as to provide Club Grant support in line with what other internal clubs receive, on the condition that the bowlers commit to supporting themselves from the commencement of a new lease.

“After extensive discussion and correspondence, the bowlers recently advised CCLC that they were unable to make this commitment.

“As a result, CCLC will now advise Council that the lease will not be renewed and will co-ordinate with the bowlers on the end-of-lease contract obligations and the exit plan from the site to hand back to Council.”

Paul said that in addition to savings for CCLC members, the decision would enable CCLC to redeploy Club Grant funding to the multitude of other internal clubs that it supported.

“Last year, the bowlers received more financial support than the rest of the internal clubs combined, and this lack of equity was a major factor in CCLC’s decision-making process,” he said.

But a spokesperson for the bowling club says the club did not say it could not make the commitment to support itself; it had asked for more time to make arrangements as the members were not even incorporated yet.

The bowlers are hoping the meeting last week with three councillors will help them find a solution.

CCLC wants to hand over vacant possession to Council on March 9.

Merilyn Vale