Moorabbin Tournament 1963

[jimcross]

Anyone out there old enough to remember back to 1963?
There was a quite major tournament held at Moorabbin Bowl, in the first half of 1963.
Qualifiers were one from each Centre around Australia ( or maybe from the AMF equipped centres only ) all then run by Bowling Centres Holdings Ltd.
Can't find any reference to it anywhere - but all the top bowlers of that time were there.

Anyone ???

 

[steve jones]

Hi Jim - memory is a tricky thing - particularly so far back - but to my mind I didn't think Moorabbin opened until early 1964 - John Sassella [of the famous small goods family] being the first centre manager. Amongst the initial crew of staff were Graham Smith and Bob Partridge - both Instructors. I believe this is correct Jim only because my father bowled in one of the first leagues there - and his team went to the Nationals that year [as did many from the same league] - across to Cross Roads in SA [flying on almost the first ever 727 jet service provided by TAA] - and that was 1964. I just wish my dad was still around to ask to confirm my thoughts Jim. Still if I'm wrong - and an event did take place in 1963 at Moorabbin - that's OK - because I enjoyed thinking back to those days to give you my answer. Great question mate - thank you for jogging my memory it needed the exercise.

Best regards, Steve

 

[jimcross]

Hi Steve. I'm lost here. I bowled in the event (Qualified in Sydney ). My wife was a Melbourne bowler, -- we met at the first Nationals at Rushcutter Bowl, in late 1962. Whatever the centre was, the manager was Alan Bulmer, or a name very similar to that.
My wife believes it was Moorabbin - she knew Alan Bulmer. Maybe we've got the name right and the centre wrong?

Again, can anyone throw more light on this?

 

[Pat]

Moorabbin opened 16th November 1962.
The Nationals that year (2nd Annual) were held in Victoria at the Caulfield Bowl in October.
Other AMF equipped Centres operating at that time (Not necessarilly operated by AMF) were Hawthorn (Opened 14.1.61), Footscray (21.10.61) Coburg (28.10.61) Heidelberg (25.11.61) Preston (22.3.62) Essendon (6.4.62) Hiway (3.10.62) Southern Cross (12.10.62) followed by Moorabbin (16.11.62)
The information above was taken from The Australian Magic Triangle News (Feb. 1964)

 

[jimcross]

Thanks, Pat,

That's good info. Hopefully, i'll eventually find out what that tourney was. I'm surprised at those 1961 openings.

 

[steve jones]

Thx Pat - well found - also interesting is that I would have bet money that Caulfield was Brunswick equipped - and given your note I would have lost...as I said..relying on memory is a tricky thing.

 

[Pat]

You're right Steve, Caulfield was Brunswick equipped. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the Nationals at Caulfield in the same post as the AMF equipped centres.

 

[jimcross]

Pat, as a matter of interest, and a slightly different subject, you don't happen to have opening data for centres in Sydney, do you, over that same period? I've been trying to work out when I started with BCH. After training at Enfield, I weht to 'Totem Bowl' just after it's opening,at Balgowlah, first as tech, then Asst Mgr. The manager at Totem, went to Melbourne to Southern Cross when it opened.
That was Merv Dunn. Is the 'Dunn Shield' still run?

 

[Tiger]

G'day Pat!

Just a general question really, but does that Australian Magic Triangle publication you mentioned have all AMF equipped centres listed or just those in Greater Melbourne in regard to opening dates?

Reason I ask is that, for the life of me, I can never find out the exact date Moonah in Hobart was opened.
I tried looking through the microfilm of 1962/63 copies of The Mercury at the State Library for it, but no dice.
Some old timers have quoted that the centre opened on the former site of Moonah businessman Keith Dickinson's (who built Dickinson's Arcade just up the road) homestead on 30 October 1962, and there's been a few others from the place that bowled back then that reckon it was 25 April 1963.
There used to be a big plaque on the office door years back, but that got pinched years ago.

Any help would be great!

 

[jimcross]

Goodness Pat, look what you've started.
A small fee per Centre, and you could be RICH !!!!

 

[Pat]

Moonah opened 9.4.63.

NSW Centres: Hurstville 14.10.60, Enfield 7.1.61, Blacktown 22.4.61, Totem 22.7.61, Fairfield 19.8.61, Newcastle 16.9.61, Warrawong 23.9.61, Northern 30.9.61, Sylvania 2.11.61, Parramatta 8.12.61, Rushcutter 3.6.62, Kensington 13.7.62, Hornsby 13.4.63, Penrith 18.5.63.

Hope this helps!

 

[androooo]

Pat, that is some awesome information.

I wonder how many of those places are still around

 

[jimcross]

Pat, that Aust. Magic Triangle News you have is a great resource.
It brings back memories ( and corrects some ). I wonder how much of the early history of bowling in Australia is in any way properly recorded? I wonder what, if any records of this type, along with bowlers, early tournaments, T V shows, etc are possessed by ATBC / TBA ?
I bowled in every one of those Sydney centres, plus Penrith, and also the two Brunswick ones at Leichhardt and St Leonards.
A little later there were some others, don't know how many, but I remember one at Bondi Junction, and one at West Ryde. There was something funny about the one at West Ryde - can't remember what it was. It was on a level above some shops - not many lanes, and something strange like AMF machines with above lane ball returns. I bowled there in a weekly televised knock-out Tournament. I remember it was sponsored by " Hecla." " By Hecla, it's Good." Imagine, A PRIME TIME TV Bowling show !!!

 

[jimcross]

Also, another I remember later was Mascot. In the 90's it was found again and re-opened.

 

[jockey]

Pat, as a matter of interest, and a slightly different subject, you don't happen to have opening data for centres in Sydney, do you, over that same period? I've been trying to work out when I started with BCH. After training at Enfield, I weht to 'Totem Bowl' just after it's opening,at Balgowlah, first as tech, then Asst Mgr. The manager at Totem, went to Melbourne to Southern Cross when it opened.
That was Merv Dunn. Is the 'Dunn Shield' still run?

Jim

Just letting you know that the Dunn Shield is indeed still running. Last year it ran with the 10 existing AMF Centres plus two invitational ATBSO teams.

AMF a few years back stopped inviting teams from the country when they had twelve centres operating in Melbourne but since the closure of a number of centres (Ringwood, Box Hill and most recently Northcote) they have requested the ATBSO to field a team with last year requiring them to field two.

Thank you too for starting this post as it has provided some very interesting information.

 

[jockey]

Jim

Listed in the Australia's Champions (Male) article on page 43 of the Volume 7 Edition 2 Pin Action Magazine I found the following:

1963 Australian All Star Won by John Fitch at St Leonards
1963 Australian Masters Won by Eric Jang (Venue not listed) ? Caulfield (as that was where the Nationals were held that year)

I found two other possible events that could be the one you are after:

TAA 10000 TV Championship won by Bruce Kennedy and the Big Bowl TV Championship won by Vic Bubniw. However the years those events were bowled in was not listed as they appeared in the Miscellaneous section with no year listed against them.

Things also to note were that the SPC did not commence until 1965 and these three events seemed to be the only major events of that era. With the 63 Masters being the inaugural running and the Australian All Star starting the year before in 1962.

I hope the winners of the events listed help you identify the event you bowled in. Also FYI Moorabbin is the only VIC bowl that still exists of all those listed with opening dates by Pat.

 

[Pat]

Just to further update Victorian AMF equipped centres opened to January 1964:
Frankston 5.7.63, Star Bowl Shepparton 5.7.63, Altona 26.7.63 (9 lanes), Ballarat 4.8.63, Colac 30.10.63, Northcote 29.11.63, St.Kilda 18.12.63, Mutual 23.12.63, Box Hill26.12.63 and Chadstone 30.1.64.
Bendigo also opened around late 63 or early 64.

 

[jockey]

Thanks for the new opening dates Pat. Would be interesting if anyone or AMF could provide the actual official closing dates for any or all of the centres that they have closed over the years. Also if anyone who was involved with any of the non AMF run centres Pat has listed can provide the official closing dates for those.

Jim I know this is slightly off your original topic but I think you will agree that if we can get this information now we should as Steve has pointed out memories become scratchy and we need to record our games illustrious history while we can.

Looking forward to more interesting info from anyone who can provide it.

 

[jimcross]

Thanks, Terry. Every bit helps, and yes, it is interesting overall, though I do wish I could close in on what this event was. It was'nt the All Star in any year, as they were Brunswick events. If the 1963 Masters was at Caulfield, which it should have been, then it being Brunswick rules it out also. It was not a televised event either.
I've checked everything that can be checked ( includind my marriage date of 8th. June 1963, and YOU KNOW THE SORTS OF PENALTIES THAT WOULD BE INCURRED GETTING THAT WRONG !!! )
I met my wife at 1962 Nats in Sydney, moved to Melbourne late Feb 1963, having qualified for the event at Bondi Junction Centre in Sydney. Between then and June bowled in the Tournament. Probably in March ??
From memory, anyone who was anyone in bowling at that time was in it. Where are they all ??????
Pleased the Dunn Shield still extant. Merv Dunn did bowling in Australia great service. At one stage, without him, it may even have collapsed at least temporarilly.

 

[jimcross]

Terry, I agree100%. This exercise has shown me how shaky memory can be. I wonder how we can start to try to get some central type storage for early information?