J
jimcross
Porky !! Someone as old as I am - well almost - I was'nt a teenager when Bowling started in the early '60s. I bowled in that league at Rushcutter that had all the big names of those days. I have fond memories of 2 Bowls, long gone. Kensington : I won the first Centre Championship there. Must have been some sort of format not used later [ATBC etc] because I bowled in a head to head game or series [not sure which] against Gunther Gsodam for the title. And Bondi Junction: Bowled a 1526 or 1528 six game series there to qualify to be the Centre Rep in some National Tournament in Melbourne. This would have been in 1962 or 1963. Never found anyone who remembers what that Tournament was. Have you any idea? Don't bowl all that many high scores anymore, so probably the local centres are safe from "I bowl high - They close."
This is an old thread revisited.
I'd like to add some of the old Centre's I worked at and those that were shut down.
Fairfield, shut down than reopened by Independent operator.
Hornsby, still open?
Enfield, shut down and re-opened.
Rushcutter, I worked there 3 times, shut down.
Sylvania, shut down and rebuilt as Southgate.
Parramatta ( george st)shut down in 1977.
Campbelltown, (Astro Lanes), shut down re-built in different position.
Liverpool, is it shut yet?
Balgowlah, shut down.
Hurstville, shut down, now has a Bing Lee store there.
Bennetts Green, shut down, now has a Bing Lee store there.
Mackay, has new people leasing, but it seems a lost cause with a new Centre reportedly being approved in a different location in Mackay.
Mayfield.
Thats all I can remember, I may have worked in some more Centre's.
willey
I'd like to add some of the old Centre's I worked at and those that were shut down.
Fairfield, shut down than reopened by Independent operator.
Hornsby, still open?
Enfield, shut down and re-opened.
Rushcutter, I worked there 3 times, shut down.
Sylvania, shut down and rebuilt as Southgate.
Parramatta ( george st)shut down in 1977.
Campbelltown, (Astro Lanes), shut down re-built in different position.
Liverpool, is it shut yet?
Balgowlah, shut down.
Hurstville, shut down, now has a Bing Lee store there.
Bennetts Green, shut down, now has a Bing Lee store there.
Mackay, has new people leasing, but it seems a lost cause with a new Centre reportedly being approved in a different location in Mackay.
Mayfield.
Thats all I can remember, I may have worked in some more Centre's.
willey
Rockdale shut in about 1992
Hurstville Bowl OMG I just about lived in the place from age 12
Sadly it shut in about 1989, what a terrible mistake it was to shut that place down
The memories of lifes experiences and all the wonderful bowling and people
that came out of that place is something else
I worked on the 30's there back in the day, washed 1000's of pins and used the fly spray system to oil the lanes
with nappies and the buffing machine, now that was fun. No such thing as an oil pattern back then
one lane playing longer than the other was how it was LOL !!!
I do miss those days and often wonder what happened to all those people who bowled
They were the days when we used to ring 3 Centres Hurstville, Rockdale, Sylvania
and put your name on the waiting list for a game, then drive to each of them to see
which Centre you could get a game at first.....
Oh well things certainly change
Sadly it shut in about 1989, what a terrible mistake it was to shut that place down
The memories of lifes experiences and all the wonderful bowling and people
that came out of that place is something else
I worked on the 30's there back in the day, washed 1000's of pins and used the fly spray system to oil the lanes
with nappies and the buffing machine, now that was fun. No such thing as an oil pattern back then
one lane playing longer than the other was how it was LOL !!!
I do miss those days and often wonder what happened to all those people who bowled
They were the days when we used to ring 3 Centres Hurstville, Rockdale, Sylvania
and put your name on the waiting list for a game, then drive to each of them to see
which Centre you could get a game at first.....
Oh well things certainly change
Wal Brooker
New Member
For me there is just one 'old bowling centre' and that is St.leonards.
In my early days in bowling I travelled to just about every centre in the country and nothing (in my mind at least) compares to the atmosphere of that place. Sooner or later every body of any note in the sport (at that particular time) competed there.
As for Rockdale .. it was supposed to be rebuilt on the other side of the carpark (of the shopping centre in which it resided) but somehow it never did. Why I dont know .. but I for one was sure disappointed.
And did you notice I didnt use the term 'alley'? Back in those early days it was considered a degrading word that misrepresented the integrity of the sport!
Afer all these years still cant associate bowling centres with alleys!
In my early days in bowling I travelled to just about every centre in the country and nothing (in my mind at least) compares to the atmosphere of that place. Sooner or later every body of any note in the sport (at that particular time) competed there.
As for Rockdale .. it was supposed to be rebuilt on the other side of the carpark (of the shopping centre in which it resided) but somehow it never did. Why I dont know .. but I for one was sure disappointed.
And did you notice I didnt use the term 'alley'? Back in those early days it was considered a degrading word that misrepresented the integrity of the sport!
Afer all these years still cant associate bowling centres with alleys!
jimcross
Active Member
Memory is playing tricks on me - I didn't remember that it had two floors of lanes. I DO remember those bloody overlane ball returns.
Amongst other things!!!
Couple of old bowling lanes I bowled at were...
Essendon Bowl... Had a really good singles league on Tuesday's... A few who bowled in it were Ian Bradford, Paul Madden... I think Frank Ryan and Trevor Sullivan also used to bowl in it as well...
Ringwood bowl...
Southern Cross bowl...
Footscray bowl...
Sale bowl...
Essendon Bowl... Had a really good singles league on Tuesday's... A few who bowled in it were Ian Bradford, Paul Madden... I think Frank Ryan and Trevor Sullivan also used to bowl in it as well...
Ringwood bowl...
Southern Cross bowl...
Footscray bowl...
Sale bowl...
Tiger
Active Member
Burnie Bowl up on the North West coast of Tasmania is another defunct centre.
Looked straight out of the early 1970s for years even though it was built in the mid 80's with it's dark, dingey interior and early 70's style carpets and wooden counters. It had wooden lanes and Odin machines and masks.
It was taken over by a guy from Ulverstone about 8-10 years ago and was given a complete revamp, it looked fantastic, even had the old masks from Mornington pulled out of storage and installed.
Problem was, it cost a fair bit of coin to do all these renovations and eventually bills weren't being paid and a lot of money was owed and the said fellow from Ulverstone did a 'midnight runner' and never came back which left the whole place in limbo.
Eventually it was closed down in 2005, there were rumours Burnie Council through Burnie Sports & Events were planning on taking it over and running the centre (as they have done with their state league football team up there, the Burnie Dockers) but it didn't eventuate and it's now gone. Turned into something else.
Looked straight out of the early 1970s for years even though it was built in the mid 80's with it's dark, dingey interior and early 70's style carpets and wooden counters. It had wooden lanes and Odin machines and masks.
It was taken over by a guy from Ulverstone about 8-10 years ago and was given a complete revamp, it looked fantastic, even had the old masks from Mornington pulled out of storage and installed.
Problem was, it cost a fair bit of coin to do all these renovations and eventually bills weren't being paid and a lot of money was owed and the said fellow from Ulverstone did a 'midnight runner' and never came back which left the whole place in limbo.
Eventually it was closed down in 2005, there were rumours Burnie Council through Burnie Sports & Events were planning on taking it over and running the centre (as they have done with their state league football team up there, the Burnie Dockers) but it didn't eventuate and it's now gone. Turned into something else.
Greig
Don't hold back!!
Bayside Bowl in Glenelg was the birthplace of tenpin bowling in Australia. (Someone will correct me if I'm wrong) it opened in 1960 or 61.
I remember bowling there when they had pin-boys standing the pin up for you. That was fun.
Sadly now, Bayside only exists in the memory of some of us more senior bowlers,
Showboat in Las Vegas. 106 lanes was just fantastic to see.
I remember bowling there when they had pin-boys standing the pin up for you. That was fun.
Sadly now, Bayside only exists in the memory of some of us more senior bowlers,
Showboat in Las Vegas. 106 lanes was just fantastic to see.
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