Henty Bowling Club celebrates its centenary

Around 90 people are expected to mark the occasion, with local bowlers joined by a number of visitors returning to the club.

Also attending the dinner and speeches will be the zone and district presidents as Henty pauses to acknowledge its history.

The club's greens are the envy of others locally but it hasn't been an easy ride getting to this point.

"The cost of a greenkeeper was weighing the club down and there was talk of going synthetic but we would have had to borrow a lot of money to put those greens in," committee member and club historian Lynne Forck said.

"My husband (Peter Forck), Bruce Diffey and a couple of other bowlers went to look at different synthetic greens and heard about all the problems they could have so they came up with the idea that they'd prefer to go voluntary."

Diffey took on the role 13 years ago and it's been a masterstroke.

"We just do the best we can," he said modestly.

"I've been in Henty all my life and when I moved into town from the farm, the bowling club looked as though they were going to put synthetic greens in and I wasn't very keen on that.

"I've been involved with the football club, the cricket club and now the bowls.

"These clubs are very important because they keep the community together."

Gary Kern, president of the men's section, has found a new home in Henty after a career spent travelling with the Army.

"I've joined nearly every bowls club I've been to; Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville and Darwin," he said.

"The size of this town and the friendliness of the people is what makes it so special.

"It really is a community place - and I'm not just saying that.

"If something goes wrong, they're there to help you out. The mateship here is excellent.

"I'm not a farmer but all of these other people are so I'm learning every day off these blokes.

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"I just love listening to what they're talking about. It's bloody hilarious sometimes.

"I'm over the moon to be president of a club that's turning 100.

"It's my luck that I'm president at this moment in time and I couldn't be prouder."

Club president Allison Scott also heads up the ladies section and the shared passion of those in red and white goes way beyond the game of bowls itself.

"We spend all our time together," Scott said.

"During COVID, a group of us have been taking meals out to the older people around town.

"We have up to 50 cooked meals once a week that we take out to people that are old and lonely.

"If we go and visit them, it gives them someone to see. Their faces really light up when you go and visit them.

"I love sport and I just like working with people, doing something for our small town.

"We've very proud of our town and we're very proud of our greens."

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