Bowls Stalwart Retires
Long time bowls administrator, Bob Fraser, has handed over the secretary’s reins to Ian James after retiring from the Moreton Bay District Bowls Association (MBDBA). Prior to that, Bob was secretary of Caboolture District Bowling Association before it became the MBDBA in 2019.
Bob is a Bowls Queensland Life Member and has been involved in various administrative roles during his many years of bowls. Bob’s ‘Record of Achievements’ over 50 years (between 1962-2012) alone fill over four A4 pages.
State Coaching Committee Coordinator Alan Thorp (Thorpy), when asked about Bob, said there is nothing he hasn’t done.
“Sometimes he even got to bowl!”Thorpy said.
Bob first became involved in the world of bowls in 1962, when a letterbox drop about the formation of a new bowls club in his area aroused his interest. He became one of the nine founding members of Wellers Hill Bowls Club in Brisbane and his administration flair was put to good use almost straight away.
Over the years, Bob has been a member at Wellers Hill, Moorooka, Bongaree and Solander Lake. He has filled almost every position available in bowls administration and “enjoyed every minute of it”. In his various positions, Bob has visited almost every club in Queensland, and was the first State President to visit Thursday Island, which he found quite an experience.
In 1973, Bob became involved in the Royal Queensland Bowls Association (RQBA), serving on the rule’s revision committee and umpire committee. He was elected RQBA Vice President in 1983 and “worked his way up to” President in 1987, becoming heavily involved in constitutions in 1988.
In 1997, Bob joined the board of management of RQBA and served until 2003, when the Interim Board of Bowls Queensland took over. Bob became Secretary of Combined South East Queensland Bowls Association in 1996 and was instrumental in starting pennants competitions from the second division down.
During his time with RQBA, Bob won all of the awards, including Meritorious Service (1987), Distinguished Member (1992), Life Membership (1996) and Bowls Queensland Hall of Fame (2012).
Bob’s proudest achievement was being awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2016 for his long service to lawn bowls.
Without dedicated volunteer administrators such as Bob, bowls would not be the great sport it is today, and Bob is wished a well-deserved rest. Bowls Queensland would like to thank Bob for his untiring efforts in supporting bowls in Queensland.
