December CEO Report
With Brett Wilkie
With another year drawing to an end, I would like to thank the board, committees and staff of Bowls Queensland and RBMs for the dedication they have given to bowls in QLD during 2022. I must also thank all the volunteers and staff at clubs and districts throughout the State for their contribution in administering and promoting our great game.
Many clubs have record numbers attending Christmas barefoot bowls functions and birthday parties, etc.
This is a great time to utilise this added traffic of new people to clubs. It is important for clubs to provide a good experience for these people to encourage them to come back to patronise the club in the future. Whether it is as a social member to use the facilities or to join up and play the game regularly, much will hinge on their first impressions of the club, the hospitality and its atmosphere.
Queensland Sport Awards
Congratulations to Serena Bonnell on being a finalist of the QLD Sport Awards “Athlete with a Disability of the Year”. It is a great honour to be a finalist in these prestigious awards.
Australian Sports Medals for Queenslanders
The efforts of the Queensland lawn bowlers at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have been acknowledged with the awarding of the Australian Sports Medal (ASM) at Government House in Brisbane.
North vs South Challenge
This was another hard-fought series in Townsville, well done to all players involved. Thank you to the North QLD DBA & DLBA, Civil Plus and Suburban Bowling Club for their support.
State 8-A-Side
The Inaugural State 8-A-Side Finals were held at Club Tweed, well done to Algester for winning the event and all teams who made the State finals. This event was well received by those who entered, we expect this to grow considerably next year. Thank you to the Tweed Shire Council and Club Tweed for their support.
State Pennant Finals
Congratulations to Kawana (women) and Broadbeach (men) for winning this year’s titles. Well done to Broadbeach and North Toowoomba for reaching the finals and all teams who made it through to the playoffs. Thank you to host Club Tweed Heads and Tweed Shire Council for their support of this event.
State District Mixed Pairs
Congratulations to Adele Pershouse and Tim Smith from Bundaberg District for winning this year’s title and all those who made it through. Thank you to Bargara Bowls Club and the Sandhills Sports Club for their support.
2023 Junior State Championships
Good luck to all juniors in this event at the Burnett and Across the Waves Bowls Clubs from January 15-20.
All six days will be live streamed. Thank you to the Bundaberg Regional Council for their support.
Secondary Schools Cup
Information has been sent to clubs for this event in 2023. Secondary Schools and bowls clubs are encouraged to align together to host an intra-school playoff to be completed by June 23. The winner will then proceed to an inter-school bowls district playoff to be completed by July 21. One winning team from each bowls district will then advance to State Finals on August 23-24. RBMs are available to assist clubs/schools.
QLD Bowler Magazine
Thank you to Jo Grey and Dee Ayre for producing this magazine and BQ Media throughout the year. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to bring this magazine to QLD clubs and members each month.
Live Streaming
Thank you to the Bowls Gold Coast Tweed Media team for live streaming Bowls Queensland’s events throughout the year. Our numbers continue to grow watching our streams on the BQ Website, YouTube and Facebook. Many clubs now play these streams on their club TVs which is great for local members and guests to watch.
BQ Office Closure
The Bowls Queensland office will close for Christmas/ New Year from COB on Thursday, 22 December and
reopen on Monday, 9 January 2023.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, enjoy the time with your family and friends, stay safe over the holiday period and all the best for the New Year ahead.