ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Transcription

1 1 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE NEWCASTLE DISTRICT BOWLING ASSOCIATION (ZONE 2) INC. WILL BE HELD AT ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERS, WAL YOUNG HOUSE, ON THURSDAY, 19 TH JULY, 2012 COMMENCING AT 7.45 PM. BUSINESS a. The roll of attendance shall be recorded for all Annual General Meetings by the Secretary. b. Confirmation of Minutes of the Previous Annual Meeting and of any Special General Meeting held during the year. c. Consideration of the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Auditor s Report. d. Receipt and consideration of the statement required to be submitted to members pursuant to Section 26(6) of the Act. e. Declaration of ballot for Officers and Permanent Sub-Committees and election to fill any vacancies. f. Appointment of Auditor who shall be a Registered Practicing Accountant. g. Business of which due notice has been given. LIFE MEMBERSHIP Two nominations for Life Membership of the Association have been received and in accordance with Article 18 of the NDBA (Zone 2) Constitution the following recommendations are submitted by the Executive, viz That Life Membership be conferred upon Mr. J.T. Smith That Life Membership be conferred upon Mr. L.S. Coulton

2 2 PRESIDENT S FOREWORD Another tremendous year of highlights for the bowling fraternity of the NDBA. Recognition of long term service was a recurring theme with Bowls Australia installing both the late Charlie McNeill (Bowls Achievements) and Charlie Frost (Bowls Administration) in the inaugural intake into the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame. At State level Sam Laguzza became the fifth Newcastle inductee into the RNSWBA Hall of Fame. All three are certainly deserving of the recognition. NDBA bowlers earned themselves many accolades during the year with the following: - Matthew Baus Selection for the Australian Squad, the Trans Tasman U25 Series, the NSW State Side, winner of the State Champion of Club Champions Singles Championship, as well as being NDBA Bowler of the Year and a member of the successful NSW team that won the Australian Super Six Triples Championship. - Peter Burgess won the NSW State President s Singles Championship. - Owen Elliott won the NSW State Rookies Singles Championship. - Ryan Steel was awarded the inaugural NDBA Encouragement Award. - Sean Cairns was the NDBA Junior Bowler of the Year. - Allan Starrett was the NDBA Coach of the Year. On the Representative scene NDBA bowlers were also well represented: - Ross Ball, Sam Laguzza and Neville Downes were selected in the NSW Seniors Side. - Terry Antram continued with his representation in the NSW State Side. - Tayla Conway was selected in the NSW U18 Girls team for the Australian Junior Championship. At the conclusion of the representative season, Sam Laguzza announced his retirement from representative fixtures for the NDBA. Sam has played 272 games at Open-Senior level for Newcastle since May, Long serving players Jamie Minter and Clay Parker also retired from the representative scene with 100 games for Jamie and 85 for Clay. Team performances at both Zone and Club level had a number of highlights: - The Senior Representative Side was runner-up to Zone 6 in the State Senior Inter- Zone Sides Championship. - The Open Representative Side won both the Pat Geary Memorial Shield (Zones 2,6,14 &15) and also was victorious in the initial Quadrangular Series (Zones 2,10,16 & Bowls ACT) played at Boolaroo BC. - Raymond Terrace BC was the runner-up in the State No.2 Grade Pennant and won the Mixed Division of the Bowls NSW Club Challenge. - Nelson Bay captured its initial No.1 Grade Saturday Pennant. - Valentine took out its inaugural Big Bowls Challenge title.

3 A number of milestones occurred during the year consisting of: - Raymond Terrace s 80 th Anniversary, Cardiff s 60 th Anniversary and Marks Point s 50 th Anniversary. Each of the three clubs celebrated their special occasions in fine style. 3 Club developments were to the fore during the year with Soldiers Point BC opening its covered green complex and Merewether BC opening extensions that completely change the interior of the club. Our Bi-Annual Goodwill visits continued to be very popular with a group of 46 people travelling to the Nepean DBA in July and being warmly welcomed by the Wallacia and Windsor Bowling Clubs. 52 people travelled to the Southern Tablelands DBA at Easter and enjoyed the hospitality of the Bundanoon, Crookwell and Picton Bowling Clubs. Each year provides its own set of sad times and this year was no exception with the passing of Life Members Alec McLagan and Neville Wyborn. Both made large contributions to the NDBA and their respective clubs and we are fortunate to have had their expertise. To my Executive and Sub-Committees and Office Staff of Denis, Lee and Louise, may I offer my sincere gratitude for all that you do in the service of the bowlers in the NDBA. It is difficult to single out individuals in a large organisation, but it would be remiss not to especially thank our outgoing Treasurer Alec Wright and Vice-President & Greens Committee Chairman Alan Hextell. Alec has been at the helm of our financial affairs since 2001 and Alan has been a Vice-President for 7 years and served on Greens Committee for 8 years. Both have made a significant contribution to the NDBA and its members. Many thanks Alec and Alan for a job well done. Last but not least my thanks to my wife Gai for both her patience with and support of my role with the Association. John T. Smith President

4 4 HEREWITH A REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE NEWCASTLE DISTRICT BOWLING ASSOCIATION (ZONE 2) INC. FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 th JUNE, 2012 CLUB MEMBERSHIP: There are 51 affiliated clubs within the Association. As at 31 st March, 2012 (end of the NDBA financial year) there were 6,887 Full, Multiple and Junior Members as against 7,202 in EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: saw John Smith re-elected as the President of the Association. Vice-Presidents Brian Carling, Mark Conway, Lin Coulton, Alan Hextell, John Jordan, Eddie Milton and Keith Rearden retained their positions. Alec Wright was re-elected unopposed to the position of Treasurer. Brian Carling was re-elected unopposed as the State Councillor for Zone 2. The Chairmen of the Permanent Sub-Committees were as follows, viz Advisory, Brian Carling; Coaching, Mick Abrook; Greens, Alan Hextell; Juniors, Glenn Dow; Match, David Gilday; Membership, Brian Cooke; Selection, Terry Blow and Umpires, Lin Coulton. The members of the Executive have had another extremely busy schedule throughout the year attending functions at Clubs and other Associations. On some occasions they met nine commitments on the one day, whilst on others the President was only able to fulfil all requests by enlisting the services of members from the Sub-Committee. SUB-COMMITTEES: ADVISORY COMMITTEE: The past twelve months has been a most rewarding period for Committee Members in that the knowledge gained in dealing with new items such as: Amalgamation procedures required by two clubs considering the need to enter into this process for survival; The development of guidelines for clubs in preparing or upgrading their By-Laws (now to be known as Regulations ) in line with the recently adopted RNSWBA Constitution & Regulations. The introduction of the Model Constitution by the Department of Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 & the Associations Incorporation Regulation We now have two Zone 2 clubs acting on these principles. A number of our Committee Members have been involved with Zone 15 representatives to produce a Model Constitution for the Zones within NSW under the new acts mentioned above and it is now in draft form to go to the Department of Fair Trading for assessment and approval. We have in the past twelve months strengthened our capability to assist with financial matters should a club need assistance with Don Reid coming on board, also Charlie Eason who is a retired Director of Clubs NSW. To the Committee, thank you once again for the time you have put in during the past twelve months. I have enjoyed being your Chairman. B. Carling, Chairman COACHING COMMITTEE: The NDBA Coaching Committee conducted this years activities with only three members, namely John Bilby, Ted Masson & myself. We would welcome other coaches joining the Committee. There is a saying that if it is not broken don t fix it, but Bowls Australia due to its re-accreditation policies is causing coaching to crash & burn. The NDBA is 2009 had 250 coaches registered with Bowls Australia, this number has now been reduced to less than 100. We are losing approximately 30% of our coaches each year due to B.A. s re-accreditation policy. The NDBA Coaching Committee has addressed the problem, but cannot be solved without the assistance of the coaches.

5 5 The Committee would like to express its appreciation to Allan Starrett, B.A. Assessor & Presenter for the assistance he provided the Committee. He conducted two Selection Module Seminars & a Competition Module Seminar which were attended by a total of 45 people. This number was slightly disappointing as the seminars provided coaches with the opportunity to accumulate points for their re-accreditation. Allan also hosted two seminars for Introductory & Club Coaches due for re-accreditation in 2013, only 7 out of 42 coaches due for re-accreditation attended these seminars. We realize that it is difficult for some coaches to obtain the required number of points for re-accreditation, but attendance at these seminars greatly assists in this regard. It is anticipated that more seminars will be held in Zone 2 in The Committee would also like to thank Mark Whiteman, B.A. Community Development Officer, for his valued support. Mark has regularly attended our Committee Meetings & Seminars. Many thanks to Michael Beaumont, Bowls NSW Development Manager, Gary Willis, NSW NTE Coach, Chris Green, Taren Point No.1 Grade skip & NSW Under 25 s team & Gareth J. Mole, Sports Psych Condor Performance for conducting a very successful Coaching Seminar at Kahibah Bowling Club with 67 people in attendance. There was very good inter-action between the presenters & attendees. It is anticipated that a similar seminar will be held in April, 2014 at Kahibah B.C. I am delighted to report that Redhead s John Roberts was a worthy winner of the Zone 2 Coach of the Year Award. We would like to acknowledge the support of the On the Green magazine which allows Committee Member, John Bilby, to provide a Coaching Showcase article for each edition. I would like to express my personal thanks to the Coaching Committee Members & Secretary, Denis Broad, for their support and assistance. M. Abrook, Chairman GREENS COMMITTEE: The Committee members would like to record its appreciation to outgoing Chairman Alan Hextell for his outstanding work whilst on the Committee. We welcomed three new Committee members in John Bilby, Brian Jenkins and Les Nowlan & look forward to their long term contributions. During the past 12 months the Greens Committee met on 4 occasions, following the inspection of all greens in the Newcastle District. Once again the condition of the greens, at the majority of the clubs, has been in exceptional condition. These clubs have been rewarded by the Match Committee allocating them District events. The District now have 5 covered synthetic greens with the opening of the New Lambton s new facility. To the clubs that don t have a professional Greenkeeper I would like to offer our congratulations to the volunteers who work tirelessly to keep their clubs playing bowls and the doors open. To the Members of the Greens Committee I would take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and assistance during the past 12 months. To all the clubs, their members, the Greenkeeper and staff I would like to commend you for your work and assistance provided to the Greens Inspectors. D. Carroll, Chairman JUNIOR COMMITTEE: The Under 25 Development and Under 18 Junior Squads continue to thrive. Success in all Zone representative matches in both Junior and Under 25 s is sending a clear message that Zone 2 is growing in strength and with our continued training methods it should ensure and foster future success. This annual report will proudly acknowledge individual and team achievements throughout the year.

6 6 The 2011 season featured the playing of the inaugural 18 Years to Under 25 Years District Singles & Pairs Championships. The Committee this year, with the support of the NDBA Executive Committee introduced an 18 Years to Under 25 Years Triples Championship. The Committee was very pleased with the number of entries received for these events, which were staged in conjunction with the junior events. The Championships created a great deal of interest amongst the players, spectators and general bowls followers. Our winners for this year 18 Years to Under 25 Years Championships were: Singles: M. Baus (Swansea) Pairs: M. Abel & M. Baus (Swansea) Triples: A. Solomon (Raymond Terrace), M. Dow (Redhead) & C. Taylor (Valentine) Congratulations to our Junior Championship Winners this year: Singles: S. Cairns (Raymond Terrace) Pairs: B. Stacey & J. Ryan (Swansea) Triples: C. Reid, B. Stacey & J. Ryan (Swansea) Fours: J. Dow (Redhead), C. Reid, B. Stacey & J. Ryan (Swansea) I am pleased to report that a very successful Under 25 Challenge Tournament was held on the weekend of the 17 th & 18 th September, 2011 at Belmont Bowling Club. It was the seventh annual Under 25 Challenge, but the format was changed to sets play and seven-a-side. Six Zones competed and congratulations are extended to Zone 6 on their success. It has been an odd year with the change of three chairmen, but all in all the juniors have shone in both the 18 Years to Under 25 Years and Under 18 Years development squads. MATCH COMMITTEE: It is with great pleasure I submit to you my report as the NDBA Match Committee Chairman. G. Dow, Chairman Not many people would be aware of the mechanics of such a Committee, which runs 12 months of the year dealing with all aspects of bowling and programming of events to keep our great game bowling along. I would therefore like to start to thank the many people who keep these wheels in motion, whether they be in the firing line day in day out or the many that work behind the scenes. Firstly, a special thank you to Secretary Denis and the office staff of Lee and Louise whose work is second to none in fielding questions and performing all the day to day tasks from the front firing line. Secondly, to my Committee of: Mick Abrook, Mark Conway, Chris Ramage, Des Skinner, Warren Shipley and John Smith for all their dedication and hard work during the year, Thank you team. Thirdly, to all the members of the Executive and Management Committees and the many Club Officials who have hosted events on behalf of the NDBA to all of you we say thank you. Along with our pennant result recorders Pam, John, Louise and Gai who give up their time on Saturday afternoons to answer the phones to accept all the results for pennant and place them in the newspapers and our internet website for your viewing. The Saturday Pennant winners for 2012 are listed as follows: Grade 1: Raymond Terrace No.1 Grade 2: Swansea Workers Grade 3: Burwood Colliery Grade 4: Swansea Grade 5: Valentine Grade 6: Mayfield No.1 Grade 7: Lambton-New Lambton RSL No.1

7 7 To all these sides we wish you good fortunes at the upcoming State Pennant playoffs. The Midweek Pennant winners for 2012 are listed as follows: Grade 1: To be determined Grade 2: Teralba Grade 3: Burwood Colliery Grade 4: Stockton Grade 5: Belmont Some Interesting Aspects in the Saturday & Mid-Week Pennant Competitions were: Raymond Terrace No.1 winning the Club s inaugural No.1 Grade Saturday Pennants title in their 80 th Anniversary Year. Swansea Workers gained automatic elevation to No.1 Grade by winning the No.2 Grade. Valentine (No.5 Grade), Mayfield (No.6 Grade) and Lambton-New Lambton RSL (No.7 Grade) all won their respective grades for the first time. Soldiers Point and Kahibah still equal on six consecutive No.1 Grade Pennants wins. Raymond Terrace No.1 and Raymond Terrace No.2 No.1 Grade Pennants creating history by winning their Saturday Pennant Sections and playing each other in the semi-final. Teralba won their first No.2 Grade Mid-Week Pennant since 1957/58, which has earnt them automatic elevation to the No.1 Grade Mid-Week Pennant Competition. Burwood Colliery completed the No.3 Grade Saturday/Mid-Week Pennant double. Stockton won their inaugural No.4 Grade Mid-Week Pennant flag. The first of our District Championships for 2012 was completed on Sunday, 5 th February, 2012 with the final of the District Triples being played at Beresfield Bowling Club. Congratulations to the team of Allan Breakwell, Kevin Robinson and Richard Girvan (Nelson Bay) defeating Peter Long, Bill Siever and Mark Heath (Redhead) 28 to 23 in the final. The final of the second of our District Championships for 2012 the District Fours was played on Sunday, 25 th March, 2012 at Soldiers Point Bowling Club. Congratulations to David King, Jay Walls, Jason Pietraszek and Terry Antram (Soldiers Point) on defeating Wayne Smith, Scott Kohler, Matthew Dickinson and Craig Thompson (Lambton) 22 to 5 in the final. A good crowd was on hand to witness the final, with the score not indicating the quality of bowls played. This was followed by the playing of our three District Pairs Championships on the weekend of June 23 rd & 24 th. A word of well done to the following winners Kevin Robinson & Richard Girvan (Nelson Bay District Pairs); Gary Jordan & John Harvey (Mayfield West Senior Pairs) and Paul Black & Will Johnson (Lambton-New Lambton RSL State President s Pairs) Three Threes winners were: No.1 Grade Raymond Terrace No.1 No.2 Grade Dora Creek Workers No.3 Grade Bar Beach No 1 The Charity Shields contested during the 2012 pennant season were won by: Ralph Cotterall Memorial Shield - Teralba No.6 Grade Albert Smith Memorial Shield - Soldiers Point No.1 Grade Pepper Memorial Shield - Lambton-New Lambton RSL No.7 Grade The year to come will still be full of challenges for the Match Committee at both Zone and State level and we are confident that we can continue to provide a good service for the bowlers of Zone 2. D. Gilday, Chairman

8 8 MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: The Association followed the State wide trend of a 4.3% drop in membership. This is of major concern to the Executive Committee and the Committee is currently addressing this issue. I am always available to assist Clubs in the recruitment of new players, to enable them to increase their membership. Also available from the Royal NSW Bowling Association is a booklet on how to recruit successfully, which I have found to be very beneficial when discussing recruitment with Club Recruitment Committees. If any Clubs have any enquiries don t hesitate to contact me and I will try to assist you in any and every way possible. B. Cooke, Chairman SELECTION COMMITTEE: On behalf of the Selection Committee, we wish to thank all players who represented the NDBA/Zone 2 for the past year. They can hold their heads high with regard to their sportsmanship, friendship & the way they played all representative games in the past 12 months. I would especially like to thank my fellow co-selectors (Ian Barrett, Phil Brockbank, Dave Gilday & Terry Murphy OAM) for their support & attendance at meetings & representative games. Thank you. Listed below is a record of all representative games for the last 12 months: Inter-Zone verse Zones 2, 4, 9, & 16 at Asquith BC on 2 nd & 3 rd July Zone 2 won Zone 4 Zone 2 won Zone 16 Zone 2 lost Zone 9 Zone 9 won. 3 rinks Representative & 3 rinks Seniors State Senior Inter-Zone Championships at Taren Point BC, 19 th & 20 th July Zone 2 won Zone 8 Zone 2 won Zone 13 Zone 2 won Zone 4 Zone 2 won section. State Senior Inter-Zone Championship at Halekulani BC, 11 th August Zone 2 won Zone 10 Zone 2 won Semi-Final. State Senior Inter-Zone Championship at East Cessnock BC, 23 rd August Zone 2 lost Zone 6 Zone 6 won Final. Inter-Zone verse Zone 13 at Taren Point BC on 24 th July, Zone 2 won Zone 13 Zone 2 won Inter-Zone (Pat Geary Memorial Shield) verse Zones 2, 6, 14, & 15 at Port Macquarie BC on 6 th & 7 th August Zone 2 won Zone 6 Zone 2 won Zone 15 Zone 2 won Zone 14 Zone 2 won. State Inter-Zone Sides Championship at Nelson Bay BC, 9 th & 10 th September Zone 2 won Zone 13 Zone 2 won Zone 15 Zone 2 lost Zone 12 Zone 12 won section & Final.

9 Inter-Zone verse Hunter at Lorn Park on 6 th November, Zone 2 won Hunter. Zone 2 won. 9 The Quadrangular Series Zone 2 verse ACT, Zones 10 & 16 at Boolaroo BC on 21 st & 22 nd January Zone 2 won ACT Zone 2 won Zone 10 Zone 2 won Zone 16 Zone 2 won Senior Side Challenge Zone 2 verse Zone 15 at Munmorah United BC on 5 th March Zone 2 won Zone 15B Zone 2 lost Zone 15A Zone 15A won. Reserve Side Challenge Zone 2 verse Zone 15 at Halekulani BC on 6 th May Zone 2 won Zone 15B Zone 2 won Zone 15A Zone 2 won. State Senior Inter-Zone Championships at Northmead BC, 22 nd & 23 rd May Zone 2 won Zone 7 Zone 2 lost Zone 8 Zone 2 lost Zone 15 Zone 8 won section. T.J. Blow, Chairman UMPIRES COMMITTEE: May I congratulate every umpire in this District for their dedication and skills displayed during the pennant season, as well as in all events conducted this past year. Despite the so called clarifications and the rumours which passed round, in the end common sense and good sportsmanship carried the day. Well done!! The Committee is looking forward expectantly to April, 2013 for a re-write of the current law book. It is hoped that the new book arrives without the ambiguities inherent in the current book, particularly in regard to the Domestic Regulations. The Committee also deplores the situation whereby combined (i.e. men and women) classes and assessments are not allowed. Same Law Book, same written examination papers, same greens test, but no unification. Pity! Many classes for umpire accreditation and re-accreditation were conducted during the past year and congratulations and thanks to all participants. Really not too difficult, was it? It is a nice way to put something back into our great game. I recognise the time and effort, and the expertise displayed by members of this Committee, and thank each and every one of them, and trust that each will continue this coming year. To Committeeman Kevin Bucklee, who is not seeking re-election this year after years of devoted service, a huge vote of thanks for an outstanding contribution to the umpiring service. He will be missed. A genuine motion of appreciation and thanks from all of the Committee is extended to Secretary Denis and his wonderful office staff for their continuous support and assistance, given unstintingly. L. Coulton, Chairman MATTARA COMMITTEE: The 51 st Mattara Carnival was hosted by Heaton-Birmingham Gardens B.C. (Les Parrott Memorial Open Singles and Restricted Singles) and Kahibah B.C. for the Traditional Carnival. Both Clubs are to be commended for their efforts and as well our compliments to all Clubs who hosted sectional play and upheld our Mattara tradition of the hand of friendship.

10 10 We were fortunate to have sponsorship assistance from the Greater Building Society Ltd and the Newcastle District Womens Bowling Association. We thank these two organisations for their ongoing support. Entries in each event were as follows: Les Parrott Memorial Open Singles - 80 Restricted Singles Frank Neat Memorial Classic KO Club Nominated Mens Triples - 40 Mens Open Fours - 60 Mens Open Pairs Mixed Open Pairs The washout of much of the finals afternoon at Kahibah meant that all but one of the events in the Traditional Carnival was declared on a joint basis. Winners of each of the events were: Les Parrott Memorial Open Singles Restricted Singles Frank Neat Memorial Classis KO Club Nominated Mens Triples Scott (Raymond Terrace) and Laurie Baus Mens Open Fours Mens Open Pairs Mixed Open Pairs and John Vesenjak (Wallsend), Sarah - Matthew Baus (Swansea) - Russell Paterson (Wangi) - Shaun Richards, Clay Parker, Lennon Wright, Sam Laguzza, Matthew (Swansea) - Chris Ramage, Tony Miller (North Haven), John Collins, Neville Downes (Soldiers Point) - Andrew Smith (Lambton), Jason Pietraszek (Soldiers Point) and Terry Lockwood, Warren Shipley (Beresfield) - De-Anne Price, Robert Koenig (Belmont) Vesenjak (Raymond Terrace) May I thank all of the participants and clubs who were a part of this year s Carnival and we look ahead to a successful 52 nd Carnival in J.T. Smith, Chairman R.N.S.W.B.A. REPRESENTATION: Brian Carling was re-elected unopposed as the State Councillor for Zone 2 and represented the Association at RNSWBA Board Meetings (until the RNSWBA new Constitution was adopted at the 2011 RNSWBA Annual General Meeting) and at the newly constituted State Council Meetings. John Smith is the Association Delegate to the RNSWBA General Committee Meetings and is also the State Match Committee Chairman. NDBA Umpires Committee Chairman Lin Coulton is a member of the State Umpires Committee. OFFICIAL VISITS AND FUNCTIONS: The year was highlighted by a number of Goodwill Visits. A party of forty-six mixed bowlers led by District President, John Smith, made an official Goodwill Visit to the Nepean District Bowling Association on the weekend of the 9 th & 10 th July, Bowls were played at Wallacia and Windsor Bowling Clubs, with both Clubs being the perfect hosts. On the Easter weekend, 7 th to 9 th April, 2012 (inclusive), fifty-two mixed bowlers led by President, John Smith, made an official Goodwill Visit to the Southern Tablelands District Bowling Association. Bowls were played at Bundanoon, Crookwell and Picton, all Clubs were excellent hosts.

11 The fourth combined NDBA Delegates Day & President/Secretaries Day was held at Mayfield Bowling Club on Saturday, 17 th September, It was a very successful day with in excess of 80 attendees. 11 On Sunday, 27 th November, 2011 the Pennant Hills Bowling Club hosted the Royal NSW Bowling Association and Newcastle District Bowling Association Executive & Sub-Committees Fixture. Pennant Hills Bowling Club were excellent hosts and appreciation was expressed by both Presidents, viz. Ian McKnight and John Smith, to club President Ron King. The fixture saw the Royal NSW Bowling Association retain the Les Parrott Memorial Shield. The annual match between the Executive and Sub-Committees from the Hunter and Newcastle Districts was played at Charlestown Bowling Club on Wednesday Evening, 29 th February, Everyone enjoyed a most pleasant evening. The Delegates, Executive and Sub-Committees Christmas Function was held on Thursday Evening, 8 th December, 2011 at Windale/Gateshead Bowling Club. A highlight was the presentation of the NDBA Bowler of the Year Award to Matthew Baus (Swansea) and the inaugural Newcastle Encouragement Award to Ryan Steel (Lambton) by Ian McKnight, RNSWBA President, and Cr. Greg Piper, Mayor of Lake Macquarie. Raymond Terrace youngster Sean Cairns won the Zone 2 Junior Bowler of the Year title and former Zone 2/RNSWBA Coaching Committee Chairman Allan Starrett (New Lambton) was named the Coach of the Year award winner. It was a great evening and attendees spoke highly of the meal and outstanding guest artist provided by the Association at a nominal charge. The Association would like to express its thanks to Windale/Gateshead Bowling Club for its assistance in organizing the evening, especially the President Frank Botham, Secretary/Manager Wendy Smith and the Club s catering staff. STATE REPRESENTATION/EVENTS: Terry Antram (Nelson Bay) and Matthew Baus (Swansea) were the only Newcastle players selected in the State side during the year. Matthew Baus also played for Australia in the Trans Tasman Under 25 Test Series and is a member of the Australian Squad. Ross Ball (Alder Park), Neville Downes (Soldiers Point) and Sam Laguzza (Swansea) were members of the Senior (Over 60 s) State Side. Tayla Conway (Edgeworth) was selected in the NSW Under 18 Girls team for the Australian Junior Championship. VETERANS AND SUPER VETERANS DAY: Merewether Bowling Club hosted a combined Veterans and Super Veterans day on Thursday, 22 nd March, In excess of sixty Veterans and Super Veterans enjoyed playing bowls, whilst others unable to play bowls attended for an enjoyable social day. Trophies were sponsored for the third time by David Lloyd Funerals. CHARITY SHIELDS AND BOB-IN DAYS: A total of $2500 was collected for Charities on these days. Helicopter Rescue Service received $400, Cystic Fibrosis, Newcastle Legacy, The Weeroona Association (Newcastle Crippled Children) and the Hunter Melanoma Foundation each received $300. The Newcastle Mater Palliative Care Unit and Autistic Association of NSW each received $250. The Salvation Army and Newcastle City Mission each received $200. Clubs winning the Charity Shields have been named in the match Committee Report. PUBLICITY: Denis Broad, Association Publicity Officer, submits information received from Clubs and Association news to the RNSWBA journal Bowls NSW and has a column in the local magazine, On The Green, published by Colleen Mannis and Dean Nicholson. The Association receives valued support and publicity from John Gilmour (Bowls Report) and Kevin Cranson (Sporting Editor) at the Newcastle Herald, Milton Harvey Sunday Telegraph and Mike Rabbitt & Mitchell Hughes NBN Television. They provide coverage, not only of Association events, but of tournaments conducted by Clubs and to them our sincere thanks. OBITUARIES: The Association has again been saddened by the loss of many bowlers, who, throughout the years, had made outstanding and valuable contributions to bowls. Their names have been recorded and respects paid at the monthly Management Committee Meetings.

12 12 The Newcastle bowls fraternity was deeply saddened by the passing of two long serving NDBA officials in Neville Wyborn (November, 2011) and Alec McLagan (April, 2012), and highly respected Newcastle representative player Kevin Franklin (February, 2012). Neville Wyborn was a long serving member of the NDBA Selection Committee including being Chairman for many years, and a member of the Executive Committee. He represented Newcastle on 27 occasions and was rewarded with Life Membership of the NDBA in Alec McLagan was a long serving member of the Advisory Committee, including being Chairman for many years, and was also an Association Vice-President. He was rewarded with Life Membership of the NDBA in Kevin Franklin had the honour of representing Newcastle 156 times and was a gentleman both on and off the green. GENERAL: The Association gratefully acknowledges the support of the Greater Building Society Ltd in sponsoring the Mattara Carnival, plus the following Clubs that sponsored Pennant Finals and District Championships: Beresfield (No.1 Grade Saturday Pennant, No.4 Grade Mid-Week Pennant & District Triples Championship) Kotara (No.2 Grade Saturday Pennant & District Major Singles Championship) Hamilton North (No.3 Grade Saturday Pennant & No.1 Grade Mid-Week Pennant) Soldiers Point (No.4 Grade Saturday Pennant & District Fours Championship) Warners Bay (No.5 Grade Saturday Pennant) Charlestown (No.6 Grade Saturday Pennant) Wallsend (No.7 Grade Saturday Pennant) Redhead (No.2 Grade Mid-Week Pennant) Belmont Sporties (No.3 Grade Mid-Week Pennant) Lowlands (No.5 Grade Mid-Week Pennant) Nelson Bay (District Pairs Championship) Mayfield West (State Presidents Pairs & State Senior Pairs Championships) Kahibah (State Senior Singles & Champion of Club Champions Pairs Championships) Alder Park (Champion of Club Champions Fours Championships) Raymond Terrace (District Minor Singles & Champion of Club Champions Singles Championships) The Association was represented at a number of major celebrations during the past twelve months. The highlights being: The Raymond Terrace Bowling Club 80 th Anniversary Dinner The Cardiff Bowling Club 60 th Anniversary Celebrations The Marks Point Bowling Club 50 th Anniversary Celebrations The Newcastle District Womens Bowling Association 75 th Anniversary Luncheon The Soldiers Point Bowling Club Official Opening of new covered synthetic green The Merewether Bowling Club Opening of new deck annex to Club and Back to Merewether Bowls Day The Belmont Sporties Bowling Club 40 Years of Thursday Night Bowls We congratulate the Officials and Members of these Clubs/Association on these milestones.