Barefoot in the Park

It was nearly 10:00am on a Sunday morning and the old timers were already well into their beer. No it wasn’t ANZAC day in a pub. In fact it was the Ashfield Bowling Club.

Ashfield Bowling Club is the second oldest club in Australia. And it is where myself and my mates Penny and Sam went to learn lawn bowls.

Set smack bang in the middle of picturesque Ashfield Park, the club offers free private classes. Yes that’s right it’s free.

Our teacher was Russell whose wife is one of the club’s champion bowlers. A young bloke called Dave also “helped out” but according to Russell this was because “he had seen youse young girls and got a bit excited.”

The drinking old timers were club members and Russell calls them the “drinking brigade”.

“Yeh that’s our drinking brigade over there. They’re well known for liking their beer.”

But we weren’t there for a beer. We were there to learn and for a Sunday morning, Russell was just the right bloke for the job.

With our barefeet on the lawns, we practiced our arm swings, our stepping forward “remember to put your left hand on your left knee as you step forward girls” and of course aiming the ball towards the ‘jack’.

After a while we got to know our ball – whether it would roll towards the jack, whether it would just roll straight or whether it was just a “wobbly wobbly”, which I was good at.

Sam managed to hit the jack twice!

We got to meet another club champion – Bev whose been playing bowls for seven years. Bev also “helps out the kitchen” and looks for bowling partners.

At 11:15 the ‘drinking parade’ packed up their bowls and walked into the club.

“Sometimes those blokes just like to finish early and get stuck into the beer.”

Which is what Penny, Sam and I did.

Honestly we could have gone on all day, such was Russell’s enthusiasm for the game.

He told us that we could even get ourselvs a club uniform

"The ladies uniform is really modern. Now our ladies can wear peddle pushers or slacks."

We may not have been interested in the uniform, but over a schooner of Blonde and three packets of chips we joined the club for a $5 social membership. For $2.60 a schooner, it’s bloody good.

Just ask for Michael at the bar

www.ashfieldbowlingclub.com.au