When the Christchurch Bowling Club was established in 1875, Christchurch was a very different place.
It had a population of about 15,000, but was growing fast - with about 5,000 immigrants arriving at Lyttelton every year, then trudging over the Bridle Path to their new home on the Canterbury Plains.
The newly-declared ‘city’ was an ‘island’ amongst the unwelcoming topography … a grid-like pattern of streets bounded by the ‘four avenues’ (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue) had been laid out in 1850. But it was still very raw on the inside of the avenues … the proposed centrepiece of the city : Christ Church Cathedral, still remained as foundations in the ground, with the build mired in architectural politics.
The club played its first game of bowls at the Latimer Square residence of the Club President in 1875.
The following year, half an acre of land in nearby Worcester Street was bought for the club’s green … and has been home to the club ever since.
The Christchurch Bowling Club became the third bowling club in New Zealand. The Auckland Bowling Club had opened in 1861 and the Dunedin Bowling Club (now closed) in 1865.
From 1879, the Dunedin and Christchurch clubs alternately hosted the Dunedin Challenge. Inter-club tournaments within Christchurch weren’t able to be played until the Sydenham Bowling Club was established in 1888 and the Canterbury Bowling Club (now closed) in 1897.
Bowls was on a roll in Christchurch.
150 years later and the Christchurch Bowling Club is celebrating its sesquicentennial over Labour Weekend in October.
Club President Malcolm Pennack (pictured above) reckons they have a pretty good idea of the weekend’s activities at this stage … with Club Secretary Gill Abel (also pictured) on the case.
“On Friday (24th), Malcolm will welcome everyone to the celebration,” says Gill. “And we’ll do the draw for the mixed fours tournament to be played at the club over the next two days”
“Saturday will be qualifying day .. we’re aiming to get 3 games in the morning and two in the afternoon. Sunday will be finals day in three pools ... everyone will still be playing,”
“On Sunday evening after the tournament, we’re having a celebration at the Richmond Workingmen’s Club, which is just a short step away. Monday, which is Labour Day, will be left for guests to do their own thing … or travel back home.”
“We’ll only have room for 64 players on the green (16 teams of 4), but anyone will be welcome to join us at the bowling club or the workingmen’s club for dinner. The cost is likely to be $100, which includes tournament entry, lunches on Saturday and Sunday and dinner on Sunday night … or $45 just for the dinner.”
It will be a great opportunity to not only celebrate the club’s past, but to celebrate what looks like a very bright future.
“We’ve got over 50 full-playing members,” says Malcolm. “And another 25 or so limited playing members. And where once we were known as a club only for men, we now have 16 women. We’re getting a strong reputation in the Canterbury Centre … both in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness as a club. Most of our members drive past another bowling club to get here!”
“Our finances are just as healthy.”
“We also host a lot of corporate events. And we have a cell tower on our land which attracts a rental. As does the carpark we own next door which generates plenty of weekday rental income from people taking the short walk to work in the CBD.”
And with the cavernous new Te Kaha Stadium being built a block away (opening in a year’s time), it’s easy to imagine that the carpark could be in big demand on game day.
It will be a big change to the area. Just as a lot has changed around the club in the past 150 years,
Just think … in 1875, there was no free education (1877). there was no electricity supply (1888), no women voting in elections (1893), and no cars in New Zealand (1898)!
But in some ways things have remained the same.
The earthquakes that devastated Christchurch in 2011 and 2010 had happened before in Christchurch Bowling Club’s 150 year history … in both 1888 and 1901 severe earthquakes felled the spire on Christ Church Cathedral.
‘We were very lucky in 2011,” recalls Malcolm. “The Rangiora Bowling Club was due to come in that day and play in a tournament. But it was postponed. Just as well … our concrete block shelters collapsed and some of us could have been badly hurt.”
“Who knows what the club will look back on in another 150 years time!”