By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on September 24, 2020
A GREAT Southern sports club, which had its very first general meeting just 17 days after World War II ended, celebrated its 75th birthday last weekend with the unveiling of a new mural.
Mount Barker Bowls and Sporting Club celebrated the anniversary on Saturday with fanfare, friends and finger food.
In addition to the party was the unveiling of the new celebratory mural, created by Mount Barker Police Sergeant-in-Charge David Johnson and local artists Andy Dolphin and George Corke.
Sgt Johnson said the original plan was to simply create a new sign to advertise the club.
“But then we were discussing the 75th and thought, why not take advantage of the mural trail that we are growing?” he said.
“We did it over a couple of weeks, but we worked on the design for 40 or 50 hours.”
Sgt Johnson said it was an honour to be asked to participate in the 75th anniversary.
Club President Fred Mentha was excited to have the new look mural completed ahead of this weekend’s bowls carnival.
“It’s great to have the mural, they’ve done a great job,” he said.
Club members Hazel Rutter and Colin Toone were also awarded life memberships during the party.
The original Mount Barker Bowling and Croquet Club was established on September 19, 1945.
It was incorporated in 1949, changed to Mount Barker Bowling Club in 1966 and renamed again in 1994 to its current name.
The club’s first bowling green was opened on February 6, 1949 and the original committee consisted of President G. Duckett, Vice Presidents J. Bavin and C. Mitchell, Secretary
and Treasurer L. Hart, Auditor K. Sweetapple, and committee members Thompson, James, Wilson and Sweetapple.
Women were invited to form a committee and be guests at the club in 1948.
The first beers poured at the club were on March 25, 1950.
In 2015, the club received a new cool room and a bar upgrade and built an internal dart board and photo wall three years later.
