6. Objectives of the Constitution and Involvement within the Community

On the 9th of October, 1957, the Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club became an incorporated entity. Due to this shift, a Constitution was drafted that outlined the goals, governing bodies, and membership guidelines of the Club. Whilst the Constitution has been rewritten and updated over the years, the vision of the Club has remained the same. As stated on page 3 of the 2017 edition of the Constitution, the principal objects of the Club are: 

a) to foster and encourage the games of Bowls and Tennis;

b) to promote and conduct such other sports, games, dances, concerts and pastimes, indoor and outdoor, as may from time to time be determined by the Board of Management of the Club referred to in Clause 6; and

c) to provide, construct and maintain grounds, greens, courts, buildings and accommodation necessary for such activities.

The Club and its committees continue to pursue these objectives, and over its life the Club has played a significant part in providing the opportunity for the community to engage in the sports of bowls and lawn tennis. 

Members have predominantly come from the City of Burnside council area, as well as adjacent council areas, and the Club has always enjoyed a close relationship with the City of Burnside. For many years it was the custom for the greens and courts to be officially declared open in early October by the Mayor of Burnside at an official ceremony, with speeches by the General President as well as the Mayor, and with Club office holders and their spouses all finely attired. This was followed by a sumptuous afternoon tea provided by the women bowlers, who would also provide a glorious floral display inside the clubhouse. 

In recent times a former tennis member, David Parkin, was elected Mayor of Burnside, in 2010. Another former tennis member who was to play a significant role in the development of Burnside was Richard Cohen, who established the Burnside Village Shopping Centre.

7. The Marryatville Trust 

Reference was made in Chapter 3 to the circumstances that gave rise to the closure in 1995 of the Marryatville Bowling Club (founded in 1910: H G Evans Marryatville Bowling Club Incorporated: Jubilee Year 1960-61) and its merger with the Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club.

The Marryatville members were concerned that in giving up their heritage of nearly 100 years, they should ensure that the money released by the sale of their Club should be managed in a separate Fund and used for the exclusive benefit of the Bowling Section of their new Club. They determined that the Fund should be maintained independently so that in the event that the Bowling Section of the Club should decline to the extent that it became non-viable, the Fund could be wound up and transferred to another bowling club or bowling and tennis club. 

The Marryatville Trust was created on 23 July 1995. Following the sale of the premises of the Marryatville Bowling Club, the proceeds were paid into the new Trust. The Trustee, which has the responsibility of managing and administering the trust and its assets, is a company named Bowlers Nominees Pty. Ltd. The directors of this Company are commonly referred to as the trustees, and the Chairman of the company is also known as the Chairman of the Trust. The directors are selected by the board of directors, and while appointees are generally club members, directors may be appointed from within the general community. The Trust is a separate legal entity and is not part of or under the control of the Club, but the ongoing purposes for which the Trustees are required to hold the investments of the Trust are as follows:

(a)   to contribute such sum for capital improvements to the premises (including greens and other facilities) of the Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club Inc. as may be approved by the Trustee; and 

(b)  to expend such sums as the Trustee shall from time to time in its absolute discretion think fit for the Bowling Section of the Kensington Gardens Bowling and Tennis Club Inc.

Funding is made available to the Club in the form of grants.

The Marryatville Trust’s first grants to the Club were for the replacement of all three greens and the installation of modern lighting, and the introduction subsidies for subscriptions for all pennant bowlers. Another significant grant of $200,000 was made to the Club in 2016 towards the cost of replacing two lawn greens with synthetic greens. The Trust has also made grants for minor capital works including the construction of a barbeque facility, the installation of the greenkeeper’s shed, paving the surrounds to all greens, sun shelters to all greens, and a contribution to the refurbishment of the kitchen. Declining membership has continued to be a problem for the Club, and the Trust makes regular annual grants to provide incentives to new members, including free first-year membership, a free shirt and a $50 voucher for redemption at the Jack High bowls shop. It also provides grants for advertising, coaching, and sponsorship of tournaments.

In the period from 1995 to 2017, the Trust provided grants in excess of $1.1 million, including the major grant in 2016 towards the cost of converting two bowling greens to synthetic, an average of approximately $50,000 per annum. The Trustee manages the Trust and its investments with the objective of being able to continue to support the Club on an on-going basis for the foreseeable future.

Robin Genders, the last of the original trustees, resigned from the Trust in December 2016 to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Robin was heavily involved in the establishment of the Marryatville Trust and was appointed Company Secretary of the Trustee company when the Trust was established in 1995. Robin held that position for more than twenty-two years, and provided extremely valuable input to the meetings of the Trust. 

The creation of the Marryatville Trust has provided a great boost to the Club, and has enabled it to continue to provide good quality bowling facilities and a high level of amenities to its members. There is good reason to expect that these special attributes of the Club be maintained for many years to come with the supportive role of the Trust. 

The current Directors of the Trustee company are Glenn Hillock, Leon Klau, Russell Miller, Bevan Carson, Peter Sypek, Gary Byron AM and John Witham (Chairman), and David Abbas (Company Secretary).