Age just a number for Silkwood’s nonagenarions
By Karin Rastoll
The small Far North Queensland Bowls Club of Silkwood in the Cassowary Coast Region is very proud of their three nonagenarian members who are still active bowlers.
Win is the oldest of the trio at age 91 and joined the club in 1988. Win is no mean bowler herself, having won Silkwood’s ladies singles championship in 2010 and represented the club in pennants and other district events. She proudly wears a pin presented to her as a member of a Silkwood team that scored the maximum eight shots in a Far North championship fours event in 2016. Win has been Silkwood’s ladies section patroness since 2011.
Agnes joined Silkwood in 2008 and represented the club in pennants and other district events. Her major success came in 2014 when she and Daniel Gauci won the club’s three-bowl mixed pairs event for the Ernie Bucklar Shield, held in memory of the club’s late president. Nowadays, Win and Agnes restrict their bowling to social days and they are always on hand when volunteers are needed for tasks around the clubhouse.
After a 40-year hiatus from bowls, Alan, a former editor of the Cairns Post, joined the club in 2014. He was the club’s president for two years (2015-16) and won the Silkwood men’s singles championship in 2016, a notable achievement for the then 85-year-old who played only intermittently for the next two years as he battled a serious illness. Alan has since been back as a regular at social bowls twice a week and is still (at age 90) a valued member of the club’s pennants teams.
Win, Agnes and Alan agree that the exercise from bowling regularly plus the social interaction has had a positive influence on their well-being and they vow to keep playing for as long as possible. President Tony Cates says the club is very fortunate to have the three wonderful 90-year-olds still contributing to the mechanics of the club. He congratulates them on their milestone achievement and hopes that many happy times are waiting for them in the future.
