Club History: Silverstream Bowls And Petanque - Founded 1980
Bowls history written by Don McMurray for 'Bowls Wellington's Centenary Year' (2006) and then updated in 2015.
Don is a Founding Member and Life Member of our Club.
Don is a Founding Member and Life Member of our Club.
In The Beginning...
During the mid 1970s the Pinehaven community decided to establish a lawn bowls club on the Pinehaven Reserve. Because the land designated for the green was too small, the Pinehaven Committee asked for a new location to be allocated by the Hutt County. In 1979 a block of land in Dunns Street, Silverstream was provided for the establishment of the club. The new land was some distance from Pinehaven which forced the original group of residents not to proceed with the project. Following a public meeting organised by Bruce Kerse (a local resident) held at Silverstream School in 1979, a new committee was formed to establish greens on the Kurth Crescent Reserve. With $3,000 in the bank (passed over from the former Pinehaven group) the new committee set forth to lay the foundations of a new club. Sufficient funds were obtained through debentures and bank loans to proceed with the venture. The original management committee, ably led by the first President, Russell Donaldson, also included Pat Hegarty, David Burt and Don McMurray (greens construction), Jim Grant (secretary/administration) and Bernie Williams (games).
During the mid 1970s the Pinehaven community decided to establish a lawn bowls club on the Pinehaven Reserve. Because the land designated for the green was too small, the Pinehaven Committee asked for a new location to be allocated by the Hutt County. In 1979 a block of land in Dunns Street, Silverstream was provided for the establishment of the club. The new land was some distance from Pinehaven which forced the original group of residents not to proceed with the project. Following a public meeting organised by Bruce Kerse (a local resident) held at Silverstream School in 1979, a new committee was formed to establish greens on the Kurth Crescent Reserve. With $3,000 in the bank (passed over from the former Pinehaven group) the new committee set forth to lay the foundations of a new club. Sufficient funds were obtained through debentures and bank loans to proceed with the venture. The original management committee, ably led by the first President, Russell Donaldson, also included Pat Hegarty, David Burt and Don McMurray (greens construction), Jim Grant (secretary/administration) and Bernie Williams (games).
The First Green
(Currently known as Green 2) The sod for Silverstreams first green was turned in December 1980 with full construction commencing in January 1981. On the recommendation of turf culture specialist Peter Rankin the green was sand based and modeled on the Island Bay club which had constructed a sand based green in 1979. 600 cubic metres of sand was transported by truck and trailer to Silverstream from a farm in the southern Wairarapa. For several days five trips per night were undertaken by the trucks over the Remutakas. The entire construction was achieved using wheelbarrows by a band of strong members rostered through each weekend. Planting commenced in April 1981. Except for the original excavation and drainage installed by the Hutt County, the entire projected was achieved by voluntary labour. Many hours of toil by the original band of 50 members resulted in a green being opened for play on 8th December 1981. Of the 50 new members, only two had transferred from other clubs. The somewhat bumpy first green having been built and played on during the summer of 1981-1982 was not the ideal surface but having not been exposed to other Hutt Valley greens, members did not complain. An old Ransome greens mower, together with a large roller, were donated by the Upper Hutt bowls club. These were used until sufficient funds could be found to purchase new greens equipment.
By the following season the playing surface had improved with the Wellington Bowling Centre using the greens for a day during the men's national championships that were held in Wellington during the 1982-1983 season. The club was granted affiliation to the Wellington Bowling Centre (and therefore to the New Zealand Bowls Association) at the beginning of the 1982-1983 season and still remains the second youngest club in Wellington. The first and only representative fixture known to be hosted by the club was a Wellington men's fixture against Wairarapa in 1988.
The Clubhouse
A clubhouse, a former prefabricated classroom, was given to the club by the Ministry of Works. It was from the Police College at Trentham who at that time were moving to their new facility at Porirua. With the assistance of Milan Kljakovic, a local builder and club member, the building was quickly turned into a working clubhouse for members. The clubhouse remains on the site to the present day although several extensions and improvements have been completed since the installation in 1981.
Older members will recall storing flagons of beer on a Friday for consumption at the weekend. As a temporary measure an old fridge about to be disposed of by the Whakatiki bowls club was installed in the bar area. With funding at a premium, this arrangement served the club for its first few years of operation.
The Second Green
(Currently known as Green 1) A further increase in membership of both men and women encouraged the club to expand its facilities with the addition of a second green. The construction started in 1983 and was completed by the start of the 1984-1985 season. Although there were some lessons learnt from the construction of the first green, the second was not plain sailing. Using a front end loader instead of wheelbarrows may have had an effect on the overall drainage of the greens and the cotula stolens received were contaminated with a foreign weed, commonly known as tillea. It was seven or eight years before the tillea was finally eradicated from the green.
Further membership drives resulted in increased membership and provided the club with a suitable financial base to initiate further improvements to the property. An umpires block was constructed in 1988 and a further two clubhouse extensions were completed. A new implement building was completed in 1993. This building served as a locker room, sand store and also as a storage for greens maintenance machinery.
New Members
Following the World Bowls tournament in Auckland in 1988 and the resultant 70 hours of TV air time, 60 new members joined the club. By 1990, over 200 men and women were playing bowls and plans were devised for even greater extensions to the club. However, with a change in the country's social climate including six day shopping, changes to drinking laws, more flexible employment contracts and introduction of further TV channels, membership became stagnant. From 1993, as with other clubs in the country, Silverstreams membership started to decline. Sadly the membership in 2005 stood at 60. The equates to the membership when the club was first formed in 1980. Of the 60 odd foundation members, only five remain fully active, three of whom are life members Jim and Joyce Grant and Don McMurray. The other active foundation members are Rod Tindall and Milan Kljakovic.
The club's first patron was Trevor Young, QSO, MP who remained in the position until he retired from politics in the mid 1990s. His position was taken over by Patricia Christianson, an Upper Hutt City councillor, who remains the present Patron.
Playing Success
The first trophy to be won by the club was in 1985 when a men's team skipped by Dennis Coombe, with John Gansbauer and Bob Miles won the Hutt Valley Colts (three years and under) triples trophy (the Gibbons Trophy). The same trophy was won by the club in 2005 and 2008.
Several Wellington Bowling Centre titles have been won by members. In 2002-2003 the club won the Dominion Cup as the best performed club in Wellington. Ben King, a former New Zealand representative (from Dunedin) was with the club between 1998 and 2001 and won three Centre titles. Mark Noble, who transferred to the club from Petone Central in 2003, also attained his Centre Gold Star and won Wellington Player Of The Year in the 2003-2004 season while at the club. Sue Grimstone, Jo Coombe and Margaret Opray also won important Centre titles in the women's section during the 1990s.
Bowls Since 2006
In 2006-2007 the club celebrated its 25th jubilee and in recent years has embarked on a project to further modernise the clubhouse. Stage One was a complete refurbishment of the kitchen and Stages Two and Three involved replacing the toilet facilities, providing a new entrance and making the premises disabled friendly. By 2011 both stages had been completed. In 2015 the surrounding car park was sealed. All of these developments could not have been completed without significant assistance received from local funding agencies.
In the 2006-2007 season the club won the Wellington Premier Interclub title for the first time and members continued to distinguish themselves on the playing field. Clare McCaul (now Hendra) who joined the club in 2003-2004, having graduated through the college bowls system, was selected for the New Zealand under 25 team and became Junior Bowls World Champion in 2011. Clare has continued on her winning ways becoming a Wellington representative and in 2008-2009 making the New Zealand team. 2010 saw her being awarded her Centre Gold Star and she subsequently became Wellington Player of the Year.
Robyn Tuckett played representative bowls for Wellington and Adam Turner won the Centre 1-5 year Champion of Champion singles in 2011 and to date continues to show excellence at club and representative levels. Long time member Iain Opray played for the Hutt Valley Masters side for a number of years.
A new irrigation system for both greens was installed in 2011 to improve water distribution and management. Resulting from members being unhappy with the No. 1 green surface, a decision was made in 2013 to completely reconstruct the green. 40mm of sand was removed from the surface, the plinths renewed, and the green re-levelled. Due to the lack of seed being available, the replant of the green was delayed until the winter of 2014. Regular play commenced in January 2015.
In 2009 a club website was established and in 2011 the club was awarded a Bowls NZ ‘GOLD’ Club Check award, a certificate recognising excellence in club administration. Bowls NZ continued to re-certify this prestigious award in 2013 and 2015.
Memorable tournaments continued to be played at Silverstream, the club facilities were used for the RNZAF inter-base tournament in 2012 and 2014. A highlight during the 2014-15 season was the visit by a number of players from the South African Disabled team, who lived at the club for a number of days leading up to their world championship event.
Petanque
Versions of this game were popular in ancient Egypt and Greece and in the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the addictive nature of jeu de boules was recognised in England by Henry III and in France by Charles IV, who paid the game the back‑handed compliment of banning it because of its interference with archery practice. In 1910 the first formal rules of what had been a rough and ready rural game were set down, and the name of pétanque (pieds ‑ tanques: ‑ "feet together") was coined.
The Silverstream group is a part of Silverstream Bowls & Petanque. This section was formed in a small way in 1995, when the bowlers built two pistes which were intended to be an off season alternative for the bowlers. Unfortunately use by bowlers did not really eventuate and a small group of non‑bowlers soon became enthusiastic and addicted pétanquers. That small group has now expanded to about 40 in number!
As the membership grew the two original pistes were insufficient, so a decision was made to expand. A year of fund raising produced sufficient money, together with substantial help from the Bowling Club, to commence building a further five pistes. Work on the new pistes began on 28 December 2000 and after a tremendous effort by members, a gala opening was held on 25 March 2001. We now have an attractive, sunny and sheltered area on which all our members can play at any one time and where we can host other clubs for competitions and small tournaments.
The Silverstream Pétanque group belongs to the Wellington Pétanque Association, which is affiliated to the New Zealand Pétanque Association. Many members enjoy playing pétanque as a social activity; for some however, the fun of the sport expands to being on the more competitive side. As well as our internal competitions there are a range of external and national titles to compete for. There are 13 Clubs in the Wellington region most of whom hold fun melees where teams are drawn at random. More serious forms of competition are also held during the year. Our growing membership, together with the new expanded playing area, has allowed a more ambitious competitive programme to be planned.
A coaching programme is also being developed to raise the standard of play.
Members enjoy the social aspects of this unique game where the results can never be predicted with any certainty. Pétanque members are active supporters of the social activities of Silverstream Bowls & Petanque. As part of their membership, the bowling members are entitled to play pétanque at any time and it is hoped more will take advantage of this and play during their winter off‑season.
(Currently known as Green 2) The sod for Silverstreams first green was turned in December 1980 with full construction commencing in January 1981. On the recommendation of turf culture specialist Peter Rankin the green was sand based and modeled on the Island Bay club which had constructed a sand based green in 1979. 600 cubic metres of sand was transported by truck and trailer to Silverstream from a farm in the southern Wairarapa. For several days five trips per night were undertaken by the trucks over the Remutakas. The entire construction was achieved using wheelbarrows by a band of strong members rostered through each weekend. Planting commenced in April 1981. Except for the original excavation and drainage installed by the Hutt County, the entire projected was achieved by voluntary labour. Many hours of toil by the original band of 50 members resulted in a green being opened for play on 8th December 1981. Of the 50 new members, only two had transferred from other clubs. The somewhat bumpy first green having been built and played on during the summer of 1981-1982 was not the ideal surface but having not been exposed to other Hutt Valley greens, members did not complain. An old Ransome greens mower, together with a large roller, were donated by the Upper Hutt bowls club. These were used until sufficient funds could be found to purchase new greens equipment.
By the following season the playing surface had improved with the Wellington Bowling Centre using the greens for a day during the men's national championships that were held in Wellington during the 1982-1983 season. The club was granted affiliation to the Wellington Bowling Centre (and therefore to the New Zealand Bowls Association) at the beginning of the 1982-1983 season and still remains the second youngest club in Wellington. The first and only representative fixture known to be hosted by the club was a Wellington men's fixture against Wairarapa in 1988.
The Clubhouse
A clubhouse, a former prefabricated classroom, was given to the club by the Ministry of Works. It was from the Police College at Trentham who at that time were moving to their new facility at Porirua. With the assistance of Milan Kljakovic, a local builder and club member, the building was quickly turned into a working clubhouse for members. The clubhouse remains on the site to the present day although several extensions and improvements have been completed since the installation in 1981.
Older members will recall storing flagons of beer on a Friday for consumption at the weekend. As a temporary measure an old fridge about to be disposed of by the Whakatiki bowls club was installed in the bar area. With funding at a premium, this arrangement served the club for its first few years of operation.
The Second Green
(Currently known as Green 1) A further increase in membership of both men and women encouraged the club to expand its facilities with the addition of a second green. The construction started in 1983 and was completed by the start of the 1984-1985 season. Although there were some lessons learnt from the construction of the first green, the second was not plain sailing. Using a front end loader instead of wheelbarrows may have had an effect on the overall drainage of the greens and the cotula stolens received were contaminated with a foreign weed, commonly known as tillea. It was seven or eight years before the tillea was finally eradicated from the green.
Further membership drives resulted in increased membership and provided the club with a suitable financial base to initiate further improvements to the property. An umpires block was constructed in 1988 and a further two clubhouse extensions were completed. A new implement building was completed in 1993. This building served as a locker room, sand store and also as a storage for greens maintenance machinery.
New Members
Following the World Bowls tournament in Auckland in 1988 and the resultant 70 hours of TV air time, 60 new members joined the club. By 1990, over 200 men and women were playing bowls and plans were devised for even greater extensions to the club. However, with a change in the country's social climate including six day shopping, changes to drinking laws, more flexible employment contracts and introduction of further TV channels, membership became stagnant. From 1993, as with other clubs in the country, Silverstreams membership started to decline. Sadly the membership in 2005 stood at 60. The equates to the membership when the club was first formed in 1980. Of the 60 odd foundation members, only five remain fully active, three of whom are life members Jim and Joyce Grant and Don McMurray. The other active foundation members are Rod Tindall and Milan Kljakovic.
The club's first patron was Trevor Young, QSO, MP who remained in the position until he retired from politics in the mid 1990s. His position was taken over by Patricia Christianson, an Upper Hutt City councillor, who remains the present Patron.
Playing Success
The first trophy to be won by the club was in 1985 when a men's team skipped by Dennis Coombe, with John Gansbauer and Bob Miles won the Hutt Valley Colts (three years and under) triples trophy (the Gibbons Trophy). The same trophy was won by the club in 2005 and 2008.
Several Wellington Bowling Centre titles have been won by members. In 2002-2003 the club won the Dominion Cup as the best performed club in Wellington. Ben King, a former New Zealand representative (from Dunedin) was with the club between 1998 and 2001 and won three Centre titles. Mark Noble, who transferred to the club from Petone Central in 2003, also attained his Centre Gold Star and won Wellington Player Of The Year in the 2003-2004 season while at the club. Sue Grimstone, Jo Coombe and Margaret Opray also won important Centre titles in the women's section during the 1990s.
Bowls Since 2006
In 2006-2007 the club celebrated its 25th jubilee and in recent years has embarked on a project to further modernise the clubhouse. Stage One was a complete refurbishment of the kitchen and Stages Two and Three involved replacing the toilet facilities, providing a new entrance and making the premises disabled friendly. By 2011 both stages had been completed. In 2015 the surrounding car park was sealed. All of these developments could not have been completed without significant assistance received from local funding agencies.
In the 2006-2007 season the club won the Wellington Premier Interclub title for the first time and members continued to distinguish themselves on the playing field. Clare McCaul (now Hendra) who joined the club in 2003-2004, having graduated through the college bowls system, was selected for the New Zealand under 25 team and became Junior Bowls World Champion in 2011. Clare has continued on her winning ways becoming a Wellington representative and in 2008-2009 making the New Zealand team. 2010 saw her being awarded her Centre Gold Star and she subsequently became Wellington Player of the Year.
Robyn Tuckett played representative bowls for Wellington and Adam Turner won the Centre 1-5 year Champion of Champion singles in 2011 and to date continues to show excellence at club and representative levels. Long time member Iain Opray played for the Hutt Valley Masters side for a number of years.
A new irrigation system for both greens was installed in 2011 to improve water distribution and management. Resulting from members being unhappy with the No. 1 green surface, a decision was made in 2013 to completely reconstruct the green. 40mm of sand was removed from the surface, the plinths renewed, and the green re-levelled. Due to the lack of seed being available, the replant of the green was delayed until the winter of 2014. Regular play commenced in January 2015.
In 2009 a club website was established and in 2011 the club was awarded a Bowls NZ ‘GOLD’ Club Check award, a certificate recognising excellence in club administration. Bowls NZ continued to re-certify this prestigious award in 2013 and 2015.
Memorable tournaments continued to be played at Silverstream, the club facilities were used for the RNZAF inter-base tournament in 2012 and 2014. A highlight during the 2014-15 season was the visit by a number of players from the South African Disabled team, who lived at the club for a number of days leading up to their world championship event.
Petanque
Versions of this game were popular in ancient Egypt and Greece and in the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the addictive nature of jeu de boules was recognised in England by Henry III and in France by Charles IV, who paid the game the back‑handed compliment of banning it because of its interference with archery practice. In 1910 the first formal rules of what had been a rough and ready rural game were set down, and the name of pétanque (pieds ‑ tanques: ‑ "feet together") was coined.
The Silverstream group is a part of Silverstream Bowls & Petanque. This section was formed in a small way in 1995, when the bowlers built two pistes which were intended to be an off season alternative for the bowlers. Unfortunately use by bowlers did not really eventuate and a small group of non‑bowlers soon became enthusiastic and addicted pétanquers. That small group has now expanded to about 40 in number!
As the membership grew the two original pistes were insufficient, so a decision was made to expand. A year of fund raising produced sufficient money, together with substantial help from the Bowling Club, to commence building a further five pistes. Work on the new pistes began on 28 December 2000 and after a tremendous effort by members, a gala opening was held on 25 March 2001. We now have an attractive, sunny and sheltered area on which all our members can play at any one time and where we can host other clubs for competitions and small tournaments.
The Silverstream Pétanque group belongs to the Wellington Pétanque Association, which is affiliated to the New Zealand Pétanque Association. Many members enjoy playing pétanque as a social activity; for some however, the fun of the sport expands to being on the more competitive side. As well as our internal competitions there are a range of external and national titles to compete for. There are 13 Clubs in the Wellington region most of whom hold fun melees where teams are drawn at random. More serious forms of competition are also held during the year. Our growing membership, together with the new expanded playing area, has allowed a more ambitious competitive programme to be planned.
A coaching programme is also being developed to raise the standard of play.
Members enjoy the social aspects of this unique game where the results can never be predicted with any certainty. Pétanque members are active supporters of the social activities of Silverstream Bowls & Petanque. As part of their membership, the bowling members are entitled to play pétanque at any time and it is hoped more will take advantage of this and play during their winter off‑season.