Heavy rain on Sunday would have led to the postponement of post-section play in the men's open singles and the women's open fours last weekend if it had not been able to be transferred to the Westpac Indoor Bowls Stadium.
The centre has a busy schedule of championship events for the remainder of the season and it would have been difficult to catch up.
O'Dea, a retired judge, returned to his home town in the early 1990s and has made a huge contribution to bowls in Dunedin over the past 20 years.
His initiative brought the Asia and Pacific Bowls Championships to the city in 1995. It was only the second time the event had been held in New Zealand.
O'Dea's most significant contribution to bowls was the building of the indoor bowls stadium, which was officially opened in 1995.
It cost $2.2 million to build and would cost more than $5 million to build today. There was a lot of opposition to the plan at the time and bowlers voted with their feet and stayed away in the early years.
However, the climate has changed and Dunedin bowlers now support the stadium. There are now 1212 associate members of the stadium who play regularly at the venue during the winter months.
It is also used by business and other groups for social games of bowls.
An agreement with the Dunedin City Council has helped the stadium control the debt and the mortgage is expected to be fully repaid by the middle of this year.
Once the lease for the Bowls Dunedin headquarters at Logan Park expires on April 1 next year, the centre office will be housed at the Westpac Bowls Stadium.
There have been several times over the past 17 years when the use of the stadium has saved the day.
The first time was in 1995, when the finals of the pairs and triples at the Asia and Pacific Bowls were held indoors because of the rain.
Two years later, a national bowls final was held indoors for the first time. The Composite four of Gary Lawson, Peter Shaw, Mike Solomon and Andrew Curtain won the title.
Weather threatened disruption on outdoor greens when the last three rounds of the 56th annual Dunedin Festival Fours was shifted from the headquarters green at Kaikorai to the stadium in 2010.
The Bill Barron Fours will be played at the Balclutha Bowling Club at the weekend, to honour 94-year old Bill Barron, who has won a record 41 South Otago centre titles.
Barron will play in a four with his son Kevin, grandson Corey and nephew Rodger.
Twenty-four teams and 96 bowlers have entered the special event, including New Zealand champions Wynette and Wynston McLachlan, Les Morrison and Gloria Shine.
