HOME HILL Community Sports Club President, Trevor Elton is discovering a horde of history of the former Home Hill Bowling Club as he digs into the back rooms of the Club building that was the home of bowlers back for the best part of a century.
Mr Elton, who, with a small group of keen members of the Community Sports Club, are doing their best to resurrect the sport of bowls, including the installation of a new bowling green, which they were able to do with the help of a $160,000 grant (plus GST) from the Queensland Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, as part of the Minor Infrastructure Program round one.
The project cost $200,000 with the Community Sports Club making a co-contribution of $40,000 to replace the original synthetic green that was used for other sports including soccer.
One of the first historic items Mr Elton dug out of the club’s “back room” was a large ledger book that carried a small note indicating that it was the “Foundation Minutes, 1930-35”.
The first page of the book revealed the names of the original people who controlled the Home Hill Bowling Club in 1930, with some prominent and well-known names recorded amongst the Committee members.
The first President was F.J. Mulholland with vice presidents recorded as Klaka, Finch and Golding. The Treasurer was Pierpoint and Secretary Perrett.
The Grounds Committee included Klaka, Cooper, Kuhl, Wilson, Quin lan, Ramsden, Turnbull and Tannock, while the Finance Committee comprised Finch, Graham and Jones.
The Bowling Club committee comprised Mul-holland, Perrett, Pierpoint, Cooper, Finch, Klaka, Wilson, Graham, Kuhl Ferguson, Quinlan, Mellick, Dunne, Mulherin, Ramsden, Turn-bull, Golding, King, Usher, Voldark and S. McDonnell. (The hand writing in the book made it difficult to decipher some of the recorded names).
Pencil marks recording what could be Initials of the recorded people have been made beside a lot of the names, but there is no way of deciding whether that was done by the original scribe or in later times.
The following page records the minutes of a “Public meeting from 15/4/30 at the Central Theatre with 32 present”.
Mr Mulholland was elected chairman of the meeting while Mr Wilmett, Townsville, addressed the meeting.
That meeting made the momentous decision – “Moved by Mrs Nosworthy and Seconded by Mr Mellick” that a bowling club be formed in Home Hill.
Other decisions made included a membership fee of Five Pounds for the first year and afterwards, two guineas per year. The Foundation members first year was to expire one year after the green was opened. An amendment to change the later fee to three guineas was defeated but it was agreed the five pound fee was to close on April 30, 1931. Officers elected for the next year were President Mulholland, Secretary Perrett and Treasurer Pierpoint.
