New greens at Two Wells
While the 2020/21 bowls season has been a roller-coaster so far, one shining light for the Two Wells Bowling Club has been its new greens.
The club has made the move from turf to synthetic, with the process being completed in early September.
Club secretary Irene Giannikos the new greens have been a success with all who have used them so far.
“They have been really good,” she said.
“Most clubs that have come to us to play have all been very supportive and said the greens are great.
“Even some people, who seem to complain about some things, haven’t complained, which is really good.
“We have had no negative feedback on them at all.”
Irene said the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing border restrictions hampered the installation process, however she was full of praise for those involved in getting the job done.
“They were supposed to be started in May, but they couldn’t,” she said.
“However, John Hastings from KCL came over and organised it so they could work on the greens.
“They did the two in about six weeks, working seven days a week and about nine hours a day.
“They did a brilliant job.
“John had to go back to New South Wales during the process and when he went to come back, they wouldn’t let him, so he had to sit in a hotel for four days at the airport before they let him in again.
“It also meant that we couldn’t supply any of the labour, which was part of the deal that if you supplied labour, you would get it cheaper.
“All we could was go and open the premises for them and say see you when you finish, then we would go back and lock it up.
“We weren’t allowed to be there while they were because they were from New South Wales.
“They were very dedicated, and John did a brilliant job.”
Irene said the new greens were a reward for a lengthy process, and she thanked the groups that the club received funding from.
“We applied for grants over 13 years, sometimes twice a year, but in the end we had to come up with 50/50,” she said.
“The club managed to do that, and we were also fortunate that we got a Federal Government grant as well.
“We got $200,000 from the Office of Recreation and Sport and we got $98,000 from the Federal Government through their drought funding, because we happen to be in an area in which those are available.
“So that enabled us to do the surrounds, which we wouldn’t have been able to do if we hadn’t got that federal funding.”
Irene thanked everyone who has helped the club reach this point with its new greens.
“Over the 13 years it is all the people who have bought our raffle tickets, sponsored our club, attended our tournaments, or just any who has been to the club has contributed to us achieving this,” she said.
“Its not just the people who have been there the last few years, it is the people who have been there for over a decade back when planning started.”
