Relief for Tannymorel
By Diane Walsh
Tannymorel Bowls Club, which is coming up to 70 years old, serves a rural community of farming and small villages. We have approximately 30 bowlers, a total of 122 members and are famous for our hospitality. We feel that we are more than a bowls club; we are a gathering place for members of our community to have a drink, a game of social bowls and a meal on Friday night with our friends. During the recent (and ongoing) drought and COVID-19 restrictions, we provided relief from the stress on our farmers and those whose livelihood was affected.
Like all country bowls clubs, our membership has fluctuated over the years, but we have an energetic board, and what our bowlers lack in numbers, we make up for in enthusiasm. We enjoy participating in events with other district clubs and enter the Q7s competition each year. We have always had our head above water and our figures in the black.
Things changed for us on 27 May. At about 8am a freezer in our storeroom shorted out and caused a fire which destroyed our storeroom and cold room. The roof struts are burnt out and we are unable to use our bar area. We were very lucky though. Sonya Carr, who isn’t a member and doesn’t usually drive down our street, just happened to be there at the right time and see the smoke. She promptly called 000 and the Fire and Rescue Service responded quickly. They told us that if it had been another 15-20 minutes, we would have lost the whole building.
Our board, staff and members have been working hard to keep us open. Our dining room has become a temporary bar area. A local business loaned us a mobile cold room and we have hired another. We are back in business, if in a limited capacity.
We are very thankful to Bowls Queensland who sent Director Kerry Green out to our Tuck’s Tanny Triples day with a cheque for $5,000 from their Disaster Fund. This money will be a big help with our recovery efforts.
