Getting to know BQ: Meet Kerry Green
Strictly speaking, Kerry Green is now retired. However, as he currently holds the roles of vice president for Bowls Queensland and president of the Downs District, his ‘retirement’ days are full.
Kerry has country origins after being born in Blackall, living in the Fassifern Valley, Darwin, Brisbane, Port Augusta and the Lockyer Valley. Leaving school when he was about 14, Kerry did time as a baker and pastry cook, which he has never done since. When he was 17, he went truck driving and that introduced him to how he would spend his working years. He spent 50 plus years in the transport industry, managing trucks and workshops.
Kerry’s introduction to the world of bowls commenced in 2006, after his son wanted to play. Kerry has always been a member at Laidley Bowls Club, but he is currently also a member at Beaudesert Bowls Club and plays there fairly regularly.
About six months after Kerry started bowling in 2006, he was elected as the Laidley club secretary. Since then, he has been in bowls management. He joined the management of the Downs District in 2008 and has held all positions except for secretary and treasurer.
Along the way, he has filled in for two years as a district president of districts different from his own. Currently, he is about to commence his seventh term as president of the Downs District.
Kerry keeps busy by tinkering with machinery and his water truck at home. He is a diesel fitter by trade and builds F100 trucks in his spare time. As far as bowls goes, he spends a lot of time “at bowls” but doesn’t always get the time to play himself, so hasn’t notched up major bowling wins along the way. He admits he would like to play bowls more but “sometimes you just have to do what you have to do”.
To all volunteers, or prospective volunteers, Kerry says, “if you are member of a club or district and you are not happy with the way people are running it, you do either one of two things. You either go and get a job on the board and see if you can change things or you go along with it and say nothing. The decision is entirely yours. We should all try our best and do what we can for the sport”.
Personally, Kerry has found his roles very rewarding and was proud to be the first male from the Downs District to be on the board of Bowls Queensland. He was actually holidaying in America when he was elected!
Kerry’s advice for new and young bowlers would be to start as young as possible.
“Get the right people to coach and help you progress in the game and keep your interest up,” Kerry said.
He believes we have some very good juniors playing at the moment. He urges anybody of any age wanting to take up the game, to do so as there are plenty of people at plenty of bowls clubs who will help you start.
“It is probably one of the cheapest games you will ever play,” he said.
“You get to travel to different clubs, experience good camaraderie and make friends for life.
“Bowls is definitely not an old people’s game, because when you go out in later years and get flogged by a 15-year-old, you know all about it! “You can have girlfriends or wives and play bowls too.”
Being on the Bowls Queensland Board for nearly six years, Kerry can guarantee that the people at BQ work very hard for the sport. He’s glad that he put his hand up to help bowls at State level and hopes he has made a difference during his time on the board so far.
Kerry has many good memories after being both a bowler and a bowls administrator for many years. However, his most memorable bowls moment was at a President’s Day game at Gatton during his time as Vice District President. He and the district president at the time were holding five shots and, for some reason, the latter put a big drive down and they ended up going down by seven, which was a 12-shot turnaround that made the opposition very happy!
