Happy 80th Holland Park
By Elaine Forster
Recently, the Holland Park neighbourhood and families arrived to celebrate a community treasure. Holland Park Sports and Community Club had been sitting quietly in a corner of Mott Park for 80 years; the question was, “how do we become a welcoming place, sustainable into the future?”.
From bowls clubs born in the forties and reformatted when Lynndon Bowls Club closed and amalgamation happened, to now as the club optimistically moves to the future.
We realised we needed to be engaged in the community and build a safe, fun space for friends and families. Today, the club is a welcoming resource for many groups: Jeannie’s Dance Studio, Wednesday night Tango with Judy Gaunt, Abbotsleigh Art, Lotus Car Club, Coorparoo Probus, Sunrise Toastmasters.
Families and organisations can hire spaces for events from baby showers to wakes, from small meetings to large seminars.
To celebrate our 80th milestone, music, food trucks, face painting and barefoot bowls were on offer and children participated in bowls competitions (the local school has lawn bowls as a school sport, coached by Bowls Queensland trained club volunteers). The Union Pacific Model Railroad Club downstairs was able to join the party and open its doors to the public.
Treasure your records, as it is good to look back. Proud families searched for connections to the club at the historical display. The ladies club had kept archival records but the where the men’s records are remain a mystery.
During the Covid-19 closures, the club’s facilities were improved and due to a grant, the club is now an accessible venue. We have a renovated kitchen and bar, and an unused shed was converted into a colourful coffee shop. Mott Park dogs and their owners stop by for an early morning snack and coffee break, school mums drop in and stay for kindy bowls, while tradies and bowlers enjoy cappuccinos and iced lattes.
Covid-19 bowled a curved ball but the club now takes aim for a sustainable future.
