Sadly Northcote Bowl is no more!

[jockey]

After 46 years of operating as one of Victoria's premier bowling centres Northcote Bowl closed it doors for the final time last night at 9PM.

A group of loyal and nostalgic Northcote stalwarts paid $15.00 to bowl at will and enjoy finger food from 5pm to around 8:30pm when the final announcements and formalities were performed. These included the ceremonial final official ball fittingly bowled by Betty Marlborough who has been the face of the control counter at Northcote since I started bowling there in 1985 and I believe for a time before that.

Also feted in the ceremony were all present Northcote staff including Terry Barker another long term fixture of the centre. There was also a special mention to the live part of the Northcote fixtures in that of Geoff Guille who like us all will sadly miss the institution that was Northcote bowl.

Victoria Road is never going to be the same for me and I'm sure a lot of the people who log on to this site will also feel the same sentiment.

No mucking around either as I beleive the outside signs were scheduled to be removed today! Can't stop progress I guess!

 

[renta]

Sad stuff Terry !!!! But life goes on ...where to now Terry ...

Dandy

 

[AdrianS]

Dropped in there one sat morning a few years back(after 2 1/2 hr walk from Moonee Ponds!!), just too say id been there. Glad i did too.. RIP Northcote

 

[jockey]

Sad stuff Terry !!!! But life goes on ...where to now Terry ...

Dandy

Mick

I've been bowling at Chadstone since 1998 and actually haven't bowled league at Northcote since I moved to Carnegie about that time.

However have bowled every Northcote Championships since and although they are moving some of the Northcote Championships memorial events to Keon Park they are not going to mean much to me as the bowlers they commemorate did not bowl at KP.

For me Northcote mean't 2666 league games bowled over 13 years and probably another 1000+ in practice & tournaments over the last 24 years. A tournament win in the Victorian Graded Bowling Organisation (Graded Victorian Open), Northcote Open Masters, won $400 for Jackpot one time, win in the Lee Francis Memorial Teams event and two Dunn Shield wins.

Sad to see my original tenpin home close its doors forever. 96 apartments will replace it.

 

[LiTtLe_PrInCeZz]

I attended the last nite and i have to say that Annette n the rest of the staff from Northcote did an awesome job wif keeping it going and the last nite was just great. It was good to see so many ppl that turned up n bowled for the last nite n it was great 2 see the surport of the staff members.
It is a shame that it has closed as i myself started bowling there wen i was 4 and now to think that it is gone is so sad but life does go on and we all have so many memories from that place and they will stay wif us 4eva.

I would like to thank Annette and the rest of the Northcote staff on their awesome job keeping the place up and running and for their awesome job on sunday nite, it was a great nite n im glad i got 2 attend it.

 

[Baz]

I have fond memories of the Northcote marathon of years gone by. The event started at midnight on Easter Saturday and was 36 games for a 2-man team. Most teams turned up at midnight to commence and were bleary eyed by morning. Vic Bubniw and Bob Devlin won three years in a row had the right idea, Bob started at midnight and bowled 18 games, Vic turned at at 7:00 AM having had a good sleep and in his sartorial splendor and bowled his 18 games.
Also good memories of Athol and Jean.

 

[jason_doust]

Sad to see my original tenpin home close its doors forever. 96 apartments will replace it.

I remember feeling this way about Leichhardt, then Rockdale closing in Sydney. It's reassuring to know that people still feel this way about their local house.

Kind Regards,
Jason

 

[Rev]

This is where I started bowling in about 1974 or '75 as a 16/17 year old with nice people like Josie Holland, Mick Gifford, Jock McNally, Ted Cooper (Snr), Roy Fallon and many other "famous" Northcote icons and then bowling with with Stu Inglis, Gay Allen and Rod Stewart as a 19 year old in league for some four years and other leagues before moving on to Keon Park in about 1989. I remember it when it was a 20 lane centre with Athol and Jean Farrell as managers and my first ball being a Dick Weber 5 star rubber ball drilled by Athol. Yeap, bowling's come a long way since then, but you can't take away the memories that come from the "old days" and I'm glad that I was part of it. Also won two Northcote Championship Masters there in recent times with one being by one pin from one of my good friends Paul (Poppy) Francis. Ah, to reminise, that's what I love about the game. Vale Northcote, but there'll be other good times at other centres.

Wayne Burton

 

[jockey]

Yeap, bowling's come a long way since then, but you can't take away the memories that come from the "old days" and I'm glad that I was part of it. Also won two Northcote Championship Masters there in recent times with one being by one pin from one of my good friends Paul (Poppy) Francis. Ah, to reminise, that's what I love about the game. Vale Northcote, but there'll be other good times at other centres.

Wayne Burton

Thoroughly concur Wayne. Although Northcote is gone my adopted home centre of Chadstone has served me well like Keon Park has done so for you. It has been a pleasure bowling with a lot of Northocte bowling royalty over the years and that is what we all are going to miss.

 

[Lyndon5.7]

Hi,
I don't mean to be insencitive but what happens to a bowl that close's down ie: lanes, machines, etc?

 

[LiTtLe_PrInCeZz]

Im not sure you will have 2 ask Amf, from my understand of it is lanes 11 - 30 r goin to a centre in New Zealand but as for everything else i dnt noe u will have 2 ask amf

 

[jockey]

If no buyers come forward the machines will probably get sold for scrap.

 

[BrenH]

I don't even know what to say now that its actually gone.
I had to say my good byes in December since i'm currently overseas. The realisation that the next time i see that block near the corner of Victoria Road and Separation Street it would be without the bowl hit me really hard.
I started bowling at Northcote in a junior league when i was around 11 and adult leagues at 14. I bowled there for about 10 years and also worked there for 5 years. Bowled most of my milestone games and series at Northcote including all of my League and Tournament 300 games, including a 300 in Northcote Championships Masters in 2006.
I made plenty of life long friends during my time there and thats something i wouldn't trade for anything.
The building, its staff and its bowlers were such a huge part of my life for such a long time that i'm not sure bowling will ever truly feel the same now that i can no longer head down to Northcote for a game.
RIP Northcote. You will always be missed.