Moorabbin Tournament 1963

[jimcross]

Terry,
Hey, I may have been too positive about ruling out those two TV events you mentioned. I've just remembered the official shirts, with high contrast colours - blue / white, I think, with Bowler's Name and Centre in large letters on the back. Very T/V ish. Memory sure is funny. Forgot those shirts, then suddenly - there they were - crystal clear.

 

[Tiger]

Moonah opened 9.4.63.

Hope this helps!

Sensational Pat! Thankyou very much for that

Terry, I know Mornington's closing date - 31/8/92.

That centre was Hobart's second centre and was a 24-lane house built and owned by a local construction company called Charles Martin Construction, just about every single piece of equipment in the place was second-hand.
One of the former managers there told me that CMC ran it for tax purposes.
Eventually the company went bankrupt in about 1989 and AMF bought it in 1990 whereby they got rid of 8 lanes and put in an All-Ball Arena up one end (this was a sporting concept that was growing in popularity back then) and put computer scoring in.
The centre was in a shocking suburb full of toothless bogans & ferals and it lost popularity with many of the night league bowlers even before AMF bought it because of a lot of the stuff that used to go on over there, especially after dark.
Ultimately a lot of those bowlers either went back over to Moonah to continue or gave it away altogether, pretty much leaving only people living in the area to keep playing there.
AMF decreed that the numbers weren't justifying keeping it opened and pulled the plug on it. I bowled there on the last day, it used to cop a fair bit of **** from bowlers but I don't think anyone realised how big the implications of that closure would have on the game here.

 

[Belly]

I remember bowling pot games at St Kilda bowl all night will I was still at school. I am sure they were AMF could you check. Jonsy you will remember St Kilsa and Joey Kang the bookmaker

 

[Belly]

Also while we are looking up old bowliong centers can you tell in which order these were built

Plaza Lanes,
Squash Bowl,
Caulfield
Hawthorn

 

[steve jones]

Belly yes St Kilda Bowl in Inkerman St was 24 lanes then, if I recall correctly, they took out 6 lanes [19-24] for table tennis and the 18 lanes remaining were certainly AMF - 30's I think. Joe Kang - who could forget - what a terrific man he was - if he wasn't holding a bet for you. Ted Nicholas was of course the other great bowling bookie who made a lot of money at Bayside Bowl in Brighton during those famous Friday night - all night pot games..then at Chadstone [the original location] - and elsewhere. I remember he ran a book at the 1980 MTC at Ringwood - and got clobbered.

As for the order of the others - well my memory has largely proven poor on this topic so I'll stand out for someone who maybe has something in print. Squash [Healthways now] I believe promote themselves as the first commercial centre in Melbourne - and they may well be on the money, the current owners certainly have done some research on the place.

By the way when you see Rollo tomorrow night ask him where all the gold is buried...LOL!

Be well and Go The Hawks,

Steve

 

[willey]

Androoooo, I worked in all those Centre's but 2, Kensington and Newcastle's Broadmeadow, as for the rest Hornsby is still open, Fairfield closed and has re-opened by an independent operator, same with Enfield. Sylvania was pulled down and re-opened in the Southgate shopping complex, I helped in the re-build, a couple of weeks before it opened.

willey

 

[Rev]

Hi to all

Just a footnote

I was at Box Hill's Squash Bowl taking a walk down memory lane (s) (with 8 lanes with above lane ball returns) about 5-6 months ago and the owner (Name I cannot remember, but first name might be Mike) but he remember's Belly (Steve) said that 2010 will be the 50th anniversary of Squash Bowl and he is hoping for or was thinking about having a 50th reunion of all bowlers who have bolwed at the centre. He showed me though the centre (new roof, no leaks when it rains now) and he is returning the place to its former glory days of the 70s and 80. If anyone knows "Mike's" surname then contact him at Squash Bowl to see if 2010 is to be the BIG reunion year.

The email for Squash Bowl is listed on Google as Squashways@Squashways.com.au

Wayne Burton

 

[wchester]

Have a look at my avatar!
I have in my collection, the official programme from the opening of Hawthorn Bowl - Victoria's First Automatic Tenpin Centre ad also Victoria's first AMF tenpin centre. Opening ceremonies were held on Tuesday January 17th, 1961

 

[steve jones]

Hi Wayne [Burton] trust all is well - perhaps I can help a little here - Mark and Nina Simcocks are the owners of Healthways [aka Squash Bowl] - and if I may indulge a little - Switch Bowling is doing a modernisation there before mid year - new GID Synthetic Lanes, approaches and pindecks along with auto bumpers etc etc - no change to those original over lane ball returns though and neither should they be changed - they add that magnificent touch of originality that makes the centre all that it is. Contact www.healthways.com.au

Squashway- as an aside - was in High St, Malvern for many years - the great Richard Hall ran the squash there - he was State player of course - as good as there was outside of the very, very best like Michael Hunt [and probably bowled a few games as well from time to time - just to take your money any time you liked] ..it had 6 lanes. I think [hhmmm now we are getting into deep water because my memory is slipping] Imre Makozie [my spelling is likely wrong] and his brother John ran the Pro Shop there for a while.

Wayne Chester where did you get that program - a wonderful thing to have.

Cheers

Steve

 

[jimcross]

Hey, Steve,

I know that this a very, very, long shot - but, are you any relation to Wes Jones, who bowled in the early 60s? He must have been bowling virtually from the start of bowling, as he was averaging 180s / 190s, in early 1962, when I first met him. As I said, a long shot.

 

[steve jones]

Hi Jim - no relation.

Steve

 

[lovey]

I thought Wes was Jonesys younger brother. He is about 75 now.
Cheers Lovey

 

[steve jones]

Lovell is it?? Rings a bell - did you EVER bowl fella? Speak up son I can't hear you!!!

Jones

 

[jockey]

Belly and Jonesy

I hope you find these attachments useful.

I pm'd Pat Thorpe and she sent me a copy of that magazine she had on Cdrom so I could look at it.

I will add a copy of others in a subsequent post that will also shed some light on which centres were run by whom.

 

[jockey]

Brunswick Centres and non NSW and victorian AMF equipped centres attached.

 

[jockey]

NSW AMF equipped centres attached.

 

[jockey]

Victorian AMF equipped centres attached.

 

[Baz]

Attached is an interesting advert for bowling 1960

 

[jimcross]

I thought Wes was Jonesys younger brother. He is about 75 now.
Cheers Lovey

Hey, Lovey, I'm serious. Do you know Wes? The one I'm thinking about would be about 75 now. He was some bowler, believe me. He worked for BCH at Totem Bowl, as an instructor. Later ran an Import business in Kent St. Sydney.

You can tell if it's the same one. Look at his right thumb. It's probably still mangled. He used to make a real mess of it - blood everywhere! lol.

If my memory is right, Wes and I came second in the open mens doubles, ( by a mere handful of pins ), in the first ever 'Nationals' at Rushcutter in 1962.

Would love to be in touch with him again.

 

[jimcross]

It's amazing what tricks one's memory can play. I kept wondering why Bondi Junction Bowl was'nt listed in any of the earlier posts. It turns out, on Jockey's post that it was a Brunswick Centre. I was TOTALLY convinced it was AMF - which is where I was looking for it.

It must have had underlane ball returns, unlike the earlier St. Leonards and Leichhardt centres.

These listings throw my whole question out of whack. I was CONVINCED that I qualified in an AMF centre, for a tournament in an AMF centre. Namely, Moorabbin. That it was a tournament, with one qualifier from each participating centre ( like the South Pacific used to)

Now I don't know what I bowled in, except that it was at Moorabbin, it was when I said it was ( I Think??@#%^@# ) ARRGHHHHH !!