Sport
20 December, 2025
Barb chronicles history of a proud club
BRIDGEWATER Bowling Club – the little club that could – is celebrating its 90th anniversary today.
More than 100 current and former members are coming for the commemorative lunch, with even more expected for the afternoon tea.
Bridgewater has survived two major floods as well as a drastic drop off in membership late in the first decade of this century to reach the milestone.
Club stalwart Barb Catto has been working on the staging of the commemoration day for more than six months, and said many bowlers from as far back as the 1980s would be attending.
Highlights will include a slideshow of 500 photos from Bridgewater’s storied past and addresses from key figures in its history.
Speakers will include Ian Ball, who is credited with helping to save the club by introducing barefoot bowls at a time when membership had dwindled to less than 20 and finances were tight.
The program was a raging success and doubled membership in quick time, setting the platform for the success of the club in recent years.
Ball was also a key player in the rebuilding of the club after the devastating floods in January 2011, which saw almost 200 homes under water as the Loddon burst its banks.
The bowls club was also inundated in the floods of October 2022, although the river peaked at a lower level than those a little more than a decade earlier.
Bridgewater has won 15 premierships over 90 years, with the first in 1948/49 when the men’s number one team beat Golden Square.
The Division 5 team is top of the ladder at this year’s Christmas break, so another trophy may be on the way.
The most notable premiership was in 1954-55, when Bridgewater 1 beat Bridgewater 2 by 67-60 shots in the C Grade grand final. Women’s teams have won 10 of those premierships, spanning the period from 1966/67 to 2009/10.
Bridgewater was a pioneer of the Bendigo women’s competition, joining in 1966/67 and winning the Division 3 title in its first year.
Many of the club’s Life Members are returning for Saturday’s function, some of whom are in their late 80s.
Those keen to roll a bowl on the day will be able to play in a social event between lunch at 12.30pm and afternoon tea and the cutting of the anniversary cake at 3.30pm.
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