Wednesday, 22 March 2023

 Tim PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (09:39): I rise to acknowledge to the house the centennial celebrations of the Werribee Bowls Club. It was an honour to join the celebrations late last year and learn of the contributions and achievements of past players throughout the club’s history. The Werribee Bowls Club was established in 1922 in an area that is known as Chirnside Park. It is named for the Chirnside family, who were prominent settlers in the area and once owned Werribee Park Mansion and the Manor homestead. Their social activities along the Werribee River involved croquet. Those croquet pitches were then used for lawn bowls and then became the Werribee Bowls Club. The club’s history was documented by the formation of a committee. Much time was spent gathering past records and photos, resulting in the production of a beautiful 232-page book preserving the story and journey of the club’s past 100 years. Recognition for this work particularly goes to Reg Hassett, Lesley Robinson, Colin and Denise Thompson and their fellow committee members with the support of past president George Cairns and current president Henry Barlow. Congratulations to all involved in the creation of the historical document and for the enjoyable celebrations of the club’s centenary. The club is thriving today and provides many social and sporting activities for its members and is well placed for celebrations in the next 100 years.