Bowls: Opoho club calls meeting

Opoho, one of the Dunedin bowling clubs facing closure, has called a general meeting of its members tonight.

Roy Marriott, the green supervisor, told the Otago Daily Times that the club wanted to test the support of its membership in the fight to retain its identity.

The Opoho club was formed in 1934 and has a membership of 14 men and 12 women at its one-green complex at the Botanic Garden.

‘‘We have not had any notification from the Dunedin City Council about its decision and at this stage only know what we have read in the newspaper,'' Marriott said.

The Opoho lease expires on June 30 so urgent action is needed to prove to the Dunedin City Council that it should retain its identity as a club.

Opoho, Caledonian and Leith are the three clubs with leases on Dunedin City Council reserve land that have been targeted for closure.

Caledonian was established in 1879 and is the oldest club in the Bowls Dunedin centre. It occupies land near the Caledonian gymnasium and The Warehouse.

It has a registered membership of 25 men and five women and a social membership of 260.

At a meeting last week, the Caledonian club elected a subcommittee to look at all the options needed to keep the club viable. The lease expires on September 30, 2011.

‘‘There are heaps of possibilities,'' secretary Melva Opai said.

‘‘We have another three years before the Sword of Damocles falls and don't have to rush into anything at the moment.

‘‘We have time to investigate our options thoroughly before we need to take any action.'' The club has teams in Bowls Dunedin competitions and has not defaulted any games this season.

The Leith lease expired in 2004 and has been on a yearly roll-over with the Dunedin City Council since that date.

President Lindsay Ross said the club committee was in the middle of its investigations and had nothing to make public at this stage.

The club was established in 1924 and occupies land at the Woodhaugh Gardens. Sport Otago has been hired by the Dunedin City Council to investigate the viability of bowling clubs that have leases on Dunedin City Council reserve land.

Its sport development and funding adviser, Tony Stevely told the ODT there was still hope for the clubs concerned.

‘‘There is no hurry. We want to work through the issues with the clubs,'' he said. ‘‘Sport Otago is keen to continue its support.

‘‘Over the last three years, we have made a fitness check of the clubs on their future viability and member ship.''

Stevely said the Dunedin City Council and Bowls Dunedin was upset about the decision of the Kai tuna club to close down last year. ‘‘We had no chance to intervene and help them,' Stevely said.

Stevely, who started his job only last year, said that Sport Otago sent letters to the clubs in March and November offer ing advice and support.

He has had meetings with the executive of Bowls Dunedin but has never been invited to talk with the management of the three clubs. He outlined what would be needed for them to remain active.

‘‘The membership would have to increase markedly at these clubs,'' Stevely said. ‘‘It needs to be genuine bowlers and not just social members.''

But if the clubs had to close it was important that the assets and heritage, such as honours boards, were protected and went to the new club with the existing members.

- Bowls New Zealand recognises that there are too many bowls clubs nationally, and is implementing a long-term strategy to strengthen the sport through identifying sustain ability issues and helping club smake changes.