History – Wauchope Bowling Club

There are currently four bowling clubs, each with its own committee, operating independently but as part of the Wauchope Country Club Ltd:

  • The Wauchope Mens Bowling Club, established in 1948
  • The Wauchope Womens Bowling Club, established in 1952
  • The Wauchope Mixed Bowling Club, established in 1990
  • The Wauchope Travelling Bowlers or “Ferals”, established in 1989

The Mens club history is recorded in some detail in a booklet prepared by Paul “Speed” Jones for the club’s 50th Anniversary. The club was established by a group including Daryl Pead, Lank Bain, Balf Logan, Wilf McCudden and Jack Palmer with support from local E S & A Bank Manager Rex MacEwan. Planning began in 1947 with regular meetings at the Hastings Hotel. Originally consideration was given to purchasing land in Rocks Ferry Road near the dairy factory but ultimately it was thought it would be wise to locate the club close to the golf club, despite reservations apparently expressed by some golfers. Land commonly known as the “butchers paddock” was purchased and by 1948, Mick Zaia, a Port Macquarie council worker, had built the first green. Len  Phillips, a local dairy farmer, was the first voluntary greenkeeper. At this time the first club house was built by volunteers, supervised by Doug Andrews, on the site currently occupied by the Wauchope Country Club..

 

 

 

  

                                  Circa 1950                                                              Circa 1961

The term Country Club was first used in 1955 when a liquor licence was sought and the golf club transferred it headquarters to the Bowling Club. Official approval for the name “Country Club” was gazetted in 1956. The old clubhouse was replaced, on the same site, in 1961. This second building was completely destroyed by fire on the 18th January 1988 and replaced, again on the same site. by the current building which was re-occupied on the 18th January 1989 and officially opened on the 19th March 1989.

The present building was substantially renovated in 2012 and today is a modern, air-conditioned facility with open areas, auditorium, bistro, golf pro shop, complemented by an 18 hole golf course and two lawn bowling greens both of which are equipped with floodlights.

Original honour boards were destroyed in the 1988 fire and some but not all of the Mens Bowling Club’s records were reconstructed after the fire. In 2014 at the time this website was being established, more research was done in an endeavour to reconstruct a complete history of our club champions dating back to when the club was established.  Unfortunately a couple of gaps in some of the early ‘fours’ teams stll remain and we still do not have a complete history of our office bearers. However the records we have now should endure for all time by having them stored in an electonic format.