1. Forewords

From the Mayor of the City of Burnside

It is an honour to be invited to contribute a foreword to this publication.

The Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club has been embedded in the social and sporting fabric of the City of Burnside for 100 years.   These pages record a delightful history of the evolution of the Club and the officials and characters responsible for its development and its enviable reputation in the local community and well beyond.

The City of Burnside is fortunate to have many voluntary social and sporting clubs within its boundaries.   The Burnside Elected Body and the City Administration deeply appreciate the invaluable contribution these clubs provide to the Burnside community.   It maintains close relationships with the clubs and encourages and supports their activities.

In our modern society the range of leisure activities on offer continues to expand, while more flexible employment demands make it more difficult for sporting club members to commit to a season of competitive team sport.   Many of the activities that presently attract our youth are indoor and passive rather than active.   These trends make the offerings of the sporting clubs even more essential and the Club’s efforts to counter these trends are evident in its recent history.

The Club is located on the Kensington Gardens Reserve and the City has always had a hand assisting in its development.   I expect this close association to continue.

The Kensington Gardens Reserve itself has evolved over the years.   As an 8-11 year old, I was a member of the Kensington Gardens Cub Scouts, which met in a hall in the centre of the Reserve adjacent to the Soldiers Memorial.   At the time, the Scout hall and the Club were the only two improvements in the Reserve, which was divided into paddocks by boxthorn hedges.   Other sporting and recreational facilities have since been introduced and the Reserve is now a highly valued and fully utilised and maintained community facility.

Council recognises the need for a long term plan for the Reserve that considers, respects and contributes to the aspirations of all community stakeholders.   The Club is making important contributions to the development of this plan.

My personal connections with the Club are profound.   My mother Jean Wilson and grandfather Warren Wilson were tennis members in the late 1920s and early 1930s.   My paternal grandfather, Rev. Leslie Parkin, was a bowling member in the 1960s.   I joined the club in the mid 1980s and enjoyed the weekly challenge of the Saturday morning Men’s grass-court competition until the early 2000s.   It is my belief that lawn tennis, not rugby union, is the game played in heaven.  In due course, I may conclude that lawn bowls is also played there!

Congratulations to the Club on 100 years of rich and wonderful social and sporting activity.

David Parkin

Mayor – City of Burnside

September, 2018

 

From the Chairman of the Club

As the Chairman of the Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club, it humbles me to be writing this preface, when there have been so many more worthy from the past history of the Club who have gone before me.

It seems a long time since the founders of the Club dug out the bowling greens and the tennis courts by hand, and built the original clubhouse. Gazing over the photographs of that time, it must have been an onerous task, all done by voluntary labour.  These days it would all be done by machinery, as was the recent replacing of the two grass greens to synthetic, which was completed in a month.

We have seen many changes over the years, with style of equipment that has been used as well as the rules of the games and the style of dress. Bowls participants have gone with more colourful uniforms and tennis players have moved away from the whites to a more casual style today.

There have been many championships won, in both bowls and tennis, and unfortunately some lost. The Codes have taken this in their stride and shown at all times good sportsmanship. This is a standard that has been set and displayed over the hundred years of existence.

The incorporation of the Marryatville Bowling Club during the 90s has helped with many of the changes to the areas in and around the clubrooms.  This also brought a number of good bowlers to the bowling section who have played a part in the establishment over the past 20 years or so, both on the greens and within the Club itself. The Marryatville Trust has played a big part in many of the refurbishments since their time with us.

Recently our Club entered into lengthy consultation with the Burnside City Council regarding their proposed refurbishment of the entire Kensington Gardens Reserve.  Our Club did this in close collaboration with the other clubs who share the reserve with our Club (Cricket, Rugby and ETKG).  This endeavour resulted in Burnside Council approving an agreed Master Plan to guide the future development of the reserve.  There is still much work to be undertaken over the coming years as the Master Plan is implemented.  Included amongst the future initiatives will be improvement of the park surrounds, an increase in size of the nearby power transformer which will increase the electricity supply to our Club (thus allowing us to have all the lights of both the bowling rinks and tennis courts on at the same time), a longer term lease on our Club premises, and hopefully access to cleaner cheaper water, once the wetlands at the southern end of the reserve have been remedied.

I know there have been many to thank for the running of the Club. I will not name anyone as I may miss someone out and that can cause distress. I will therefore thank all those who have played a part, no matter how small or large, for your particular efforts in taking office or helping in other ways to keep the Club going in an excellent manner.

I recommend this book to you all.

Phillip Grant-Allan

Chairman of the Board of Management

September, 2018

 

Caption Reads: The Sport of Bowls Defies the Calendar of Years – “Young” Veterans at South Park, February 1925

 

2. Chronology

19th February, 1919 – Meeting of ex-servicemen and defence-ready volunteers from the First World War in which a motion is put forward to found a Lawn Bowls Club. Subcommittee formed to create rules of the Club and find appropriate land. 

4th September, 1919 – First Annual General Meeting is held in the Anglican Mission Hall. The Club Rules, based on the Prospect Bowling Club, are presented and, with minor amendments, approved. 

13th October, 1919 – The Kensington Gardens Club is officially affiliated with the South Australian Bowling Association, for an annual fee of £6.6.0. 

May – August, 1920 – The first clubhouse is built, and the greens and courts are established, by both member volunteers and hired contractors, in an effort to keep the price down. This original building forms a major part of the existing Club House. 

30th October, 1920 – The first Opening Day of the Club. The Greens and Courts are declared open by the President of the South Australian Bowling Association, Mr. J. Rundle. 

August, 1921 – The Club becomes officially associated with the South Australian Lawn Tennis Association, and two men’s and one women’s team compete in the S.A.L.T.A Competitions of that year. 

September, 1925 – It is decided that in order to properly manage the Club, there will be two Sections: Lawn Tennis and Bowling. 

1926 – The Women’s Bowling Section is formed, after the ground work of Mrs Dorothy Wheeler and Mrs. C.J Edwards, the first President. This is, in effect, the beginning of organiszed women’s bowling in South Australia. 

February 1928 –August 1935 – The Club suffers major hardships due to the worldwide Great Depression. Many members resign their membership, and by 1931, there are more women members than men. 

December, 1935 – The financial situation of the Club improves due to a number of factors, including increased membership, waiving of debts by member-donors, and the renewal of the Christmas Tennis Tournaments. 

December 1936 – January, 1941 – The membership of the Club increases dramatically in the years after the Depression and before the beginning of World War II. 

November, 1943 – The Second World War has a substantial impact on the Club. For example, the supply of tennis balls needed for the Club was only 15% of the number used in 1941. Furthermore, bowls and junior tennis are all but cancelled during this time. 

1945-46 – The end of the Second World War brings many servicemen and women back into the Club. Many of those who served in World War II are active for decades after they `returned. 

1947 – The “Life Subscription” that had begun in 1919 is abolished. 

Summer, 1948 – A grasshopper plague causes immense difficulties for the Club. The General Committee agrees to ban the use of shorts by bowls players. 

1952 – After 33 years, the Croquet Section of the Club is discontinued. The area used by the Croquet Section is converted into tennis courts numbered 13 -15, which have more room behind the base lines, and are used for match play by the top division teams.  Many of the croquet players join the Bowls Section of the Club. 

1954 – The Club is declared open for the ensuing season of bowls and tennis by the Hon. Tom Playford, Premier of South Australia.

1955 - A plan for the construction of an addition to the Club House was prepared by then General Treasurer, Wally Mallen.  This resulted in the erection of the locker room and visitors’ room at a cost of nearly £3000.

1964 – Approval is given for mixed bowling on one green every alternate Sunday afternoon.

August 1966 – Tennis membership is capped at 250, and there is a waiting list approaching a further 200. A new Mid-week Membership category is introduced to accommodate further tennis members.

The Constitution is rewritten, and with strong support from tennis members, it is provided that the two representatives of the Women’s Bowls Section on the General Committee will, for the first time, have the right to vote. 

1967 –A club liquor licence is obtained under the newly enacted Licensing Act.  

August 1969 – The Club celebrates its Golden Jubilee.  After half a century of hard work and dedication from its members, the Club has become a very successful venture. A time capsule is installed in the club house to be opened in 2019. A Golden Jubilee History covering the first 50 years of the Club is prepared. 

1970s -80s  –  On Saturday and Sunday summer mornings in this period most courts are occupied with a range of juniors being coached by Bill Jeffery, one of the club’s top tennis players. 

August 1976 – Significant additions and updates to the clubhouse are completed at a cost of $57,000. The boundary of the Club’s leased area is expanded westwards by about 3 metres to convert tennis courts numbered 3 and 4 from singles to doubles courts.

24th September 1979 – After a surge of new members, total Club membership hits a record number of 684. 

16th February 1979 – To celebrate the Club’s 60th year anniversary, a dinner dance is held at Norwood Redlegs Club. The Guest of Honour is the Mayor of Burnside, Mrs. Margaret Bond, as well as her husband. 240 members and friends attend. 

28th April 1981 – A sub-committee meets to discuss the needs of upgrading the tennis room. It is agreed that the appropriate action for future needs is to ‘make substantial additional space available.’ 

19th May 1981 – Clubhouse upgrades and extensions are agreed by the Burnside Council to be presented to local residents for their approval. 

August 1981 – The Club participates in the festivities for the 125th anniversary of the founding of the City of Burnside. This includes inter-club lawn and indoor bowls matches between Kensington Gardens and surrounding Clubs associated with the Burnside area. 

22nd August 1983 – During a general meeting of members, the possibility of creating an upper level extension of the clubhouse is discussed. Everyone agrees that this would be a great improvement and the meeting approves the concept. 

1983 – Smoking is banned in the Tennis section and later, at the 1998 AGM, with only one dissenting vote, in the whole clubhouse, and eventually in the whole of the Club’s playing areas. 

November 1984 –The upper level extension at the western end of the clubhouse is completed. This is a major extension to the original building, and is financed from a State Government grant. The upper level accommodates a lounge and change rooms for the tennis members, in place of what had been a lean-to extension of the main clubhouse.  

June, 1995 – The amalgamation of the Bowls Section of the Club with the Marryatville Bowling Club occurs.  The amalgamation is a great boost to both the numbers and finances of the Club. 

October 1995 – regular summer night bowls, known as Sausage Sizzle, are organised on Tuesday evenings by Glenn Hillock and Bob Scholefield.   Kevin Kirchner runs this evening for many years; Glenn is still behind the bar at the time of writing.

November 1995 – Significant alterations and improvements are made to the upstairs tennis lounge, entailing the installation of a separate bar and a service hoist.

26th February 2006 –It is agreed that the Social Committee, which has overseen the social activities of both the Bowls and Tennis Sections, will be disbanded after two great years of service. Instead, the separate Bowls and Tennis Sections will see to their own social activities. 

May 2006 – Whilst it had been suggested over a year earlier with little success, the Men’s and Women’s Bowling Sections are combined to create one united Bowls Section.  This greatly strengthens the Bowls Section.  

October 2006 – Thursday night bowls commences; though ostensibly in the Night Owls format, insufficient numbers of late lead to modifications.

St Peter’s Old Collegian tennis players make the Club their home base, as a result of the College converting its lawn tennis courts to hardcourts; they enter 4 men’s teams and 1 women’s team in the Metropolitan Lawn Tennis Association’s Saturday afternoon competition. 

2009 – At the suggestion of the then Bowls Secretary, Bevan Carson, seats along the greens are named to honour club members – the Club provides funds for most, but others were paid for by the members concerned.  The first are to honour Helen Ball and caterers extraordinaire, Edith Harding and Bette Lane. 

2010 – Bowls, like other sports, has moved from all white to coloured uniforms. This was a gradual process: a coloured pattern was added to Kensington Marryatville’s uniform for a decade, but in 2010 a radical change is adopted with a large kookaburra emblem across the front of the shirt, which is worn with dark navy shorts or long pants.  At the same time the term Kensi Kookaburras is adopted for all bowls teams.

7th December 2010 – As a result of heavy flooding in Rosslyn Park, a large amount of water floods through the Club’s premises, causing damage to the property, furnishings and personal effects. This also damages some Club minutes, resulting in a loss of historical records.

August, 2011 – The Tennis Newsletter proclaims “The Lights are UP!”, announcing the    completion of the erection of lights on two bays of tennis courts, comprising Courts 10 – 15, and  an official opening on 24 September 2011. Night tennis proves popular, with competition between 12 mixed teams of three played on Monday evenings, and social tennis on Wednesday evenings.

October 2015 – A new version of the Tennis Club Newsletter is created.

2015-16 – KM Thursday’s Women’s Bowls team win the premiership flag in Premier 1 (the top level).

29 February, 2016 – The Constitution is amended to rename the General Committee as the Board of Management, and the principal office bearers as Chairperson, Secretary and Finance Director, with one ordinary member nominated to the Board by each of the Bowls and Tennis Sections, and 3 ordinary members elected by the members. 

Winter, 2016 – Two of the bowling greens are converted from natural lawn to synthetic lawn at a cost in excess of $400,000, with the Club borrowing $200,000 from the City of Burnside, and receiving a contribution from the Marryatville Trust of a further $200,000. 

September, 2016 – The Club and the other sporting Clubs based in the Kensington Gardens Reserve as well as some adjacent residents oppose a proposal by the Burnside City Council to relocate the greens and tennis courts and to replace all existing club rooms with one shared large community hub building located to the south of Courts 4 –12. After constructive discussions with representatives of the sporting clubs, the Council does not pursue the proposal.

August 2017 – The constitution is updated in a number of respects, including to facilitate the convening of all meetings by email, to permit telephone meetings and the passing of resolutions by the exchange of emails, to give the Board appropriate flexibility in the management and administration of the Club, and to facilitate filling any vacancies on the Board or committees.

12 December 2017 – The Burnside City Council approves a Master Plan for the Kensington Gardens Reserve, after community consultation and many discussions with a sub-committee comprising representatives of the sporting Clubs based in the Reserve. The Plan entails leaving the Clubs in their long-standing existing locations, and a number of benefits to the community and Clubs, including eliminating storm water and pollution issues and establishing a wetlands in the south-east corner of the Reserve, improved power and lighting, a basis for re-establishing long term leases  of clubrooms and playing areas, and the potential for the Clubs to have access to affordable quality water for watering playing areas.