Behind the unassuming façade of the Greendale Centre at Dale Cottages, a fiercely-contested battle is waged each fortnight.
With centuries of honed skills and experience between them, the Armadale Indoor Carpet Bowls Club members take a tilt at the best from around Perth every second Thursday.
The club is older than living memory, and has a proud history of producing champions: in 2022, Armadale’s Alan Sullivan, Bridget Coe, Joan Fairley and Rex McCamish took out the gold in the Senior Recreation Council of WA’s Seniors Mixed Indoor Bowls Tournament.
When the Examiner visited last Thursday, there was an intense concentration out on the mats; the visiting Southern Districts team had just taken the first round in their stride.
But they’re not playing for sheep stations – just bragging rights. And the only bias is in the bowls themselves. The games are always played in good humour and there’s a wonderful camaraderie in the room, with each side gladly celebrating a superb bowl from their opponents.
Match days are a marathon event of 24 games played over the course of the whole day, but they’re happily punctuated by regular tea breaks, lunch and raffle draws.
And members comfortably play well into their nineties. The oldest player in the room is 99, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
And a beloved former Armadale player, and cancer survivor, bowled well into her 107th year of life.
As Club Captain Richard Hopkins points out: “This game keeps people out of hospital”.
“We’ve got air conditioning and music on tap, plus all the tea and bikkies you can manage,” he said.
“I spent my working life as a bricklayer working outdoors – so I’ve had enough of the weather. I’m not a fisherman, a golfer and I’m not really a gardener. So, for me, this is perfect.
“I think it’s the best fun you can have with your pants on.
“And it’s a great game for socialising. One member said his involvement has led him to meet 400 new friends.”
Armadale’s most senior player, Ed Hanson, has clocked up over 34 years of experience.
“It’s a friendly, competitive game, and I’ve always enjoyed playing,” he said.
“I’ll be 95 in December, and I’ll go as long as I can – someone’s got to teach the young ones what to do.”
Bowling beside him is 44-year-old Nikki Pountney – the club’s newest and youngest member.
“I’ve been playing for six weeks. My mum nagged me to come along and said I’d enjoy it – and yeah, I do,” she said.
“I’ve had a lot of friends come and check it out too. I wish a lot more younger people played it.”
On days when the club hosts matches, everyone pitches in. The money raised from the raffle, lunch and ice cream sales goes towards the purchase of new equipment for the club, and team social outings. In fact, the week prior they’d all ventured to Bistro By the Dam for a Christmas in July do.
With so many perks, and people living longer than at any other point in history, you’d think new members would be breaking the doors down to join up.
But membership in the Armadale club has been steadily dwindling – the club can currently field four-and-a-half four-person teams, down from its peak of around 65 players.
The decline in carpet bowls membership around Perth mimics the general trend felt by lawn bowls clubs nationwide.
“We’ve lost a lot of good members through age,” Ed explains. “But I’m not sure why they’re not being replaced – it’s a great game.”
“We’re always looking for new members,” Richard said. “And we’re a very inclusive club – we cater to people of all ages and all abilities.”
The club meets each Tuesday and Thursday for practise rounds. Annual fees are $20, and each session costs $5, with coffee and tea included.
Match days are every second week, to ensure a good rest in between.
And Dale Cottages generously provide a bus for use during away games.
Anyone tempted to join can contact Richard Hopkins on 0417 994 577.
- As a happy postscript to the article, Armadale ended up clawing back that first round and winning the day.
Photographs – Richard Polden
