Maleny BC Celebrates 85 years
Maleny Bowls Club 85th Anniversary celebrations took place on Sunday, September 11 2022. Lawn bowls was first played in Maleny in the early to mid 1930s, when the owner of the Maleny hotel, William Henry Rixon Burnett, built two private bowls rinks at the Maleny Hotel. Being an electrical engineer, William Burnett installed a 32 volt generator to floodlight the two rinks.
In 1937, a public meeting was held in Maleny to discuss starting a lawn bowls club and the Maleny Bowls Club was born.
The bowls club was built on land owned by William Burnett next to the Maleny Hotel (the present site of the Maleny Bowls Club). The land was initially leased to the Maleny Bowls Club for 20 years for £35 per year. In 1955, at the end of the lease period, the land was sold to the Maleny Bowls Club for £550.
Over the past 85 years, the Maleny Bowls Club has prospered despite wars, floods and pandemics thanks to the dedication of the many volunteers who have kept the club successful and a fun place.
Part of the official 85th Anniversary was the naming and unveiling of The W.H.R. Burnett Green with Wendy Bulger (Maleny Bowls Club Chairperson), Kerry Green (Bowls Qld), Andrew Powell MP (Glasshouse), Carol Cook (WHR Burnett grand daughter) and Eric Tomsene (SCDMBA).
Contributed by Brett Gillis
