About
WELCOME
Welcome to the friendly club!
The Toorak Burnside Bowling sits in beautiful treed surrounds on quiet local streets with a delightful outdoor sitting area overlooking our premier grass greens. This makes it the perfect place for functions whether it’s a birthday or end of year work Christmas Party. It also makes it a great place to bowl !
Lawn Bowls is a highly adaptable social game for people of all ages and abilities. Toorak Burnside welcomes experienced players looking for a club to enjoy the sport they love. New bowlers are also welcome – don’t be shy! Come and have a go.
To suit everyone casual and competitive bowling options are offered at the club including:
Social Bowls
Social bowls competitions are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, weather permitting, outside of the Pennant season.
Come on your own or with friends and we will put you in a team.
Night Owls
A fun competition on Thursday nights for those that want to enjoy bowls with friends in a relaxed environment.
Enter a team or we can put you in a team.
Pennant Bowls
Team competitions played on Wednesdays (men), Thursdays (women) and Saturdays (mixed).
Toorak Burnside has teams at different levels of competition to cater for different abilities.
New bowlers are encouraged to join – there is a place for everyone.
Toorak Burnside also strives to succeed at the highest levels of competition.
The Toorak Burnside Bowling Club is a welcoming place for everyone – members and visitors. Come in, say hi and grab a drink but beware – bowls may be addictive!
Our club is run with pride by our members.
OUR HISTORY
Old Scrapbook Diaries maintained since the Club’s inception record the following newspaper articles regarding the Club’s beginning:
“When the beautiful suburb of Toorak was originally laid out a large block of land was set aside for recreation purposes. Two tennis courts were made on the land but, there being no supervisory body, the ground fell into disrepair. In 1918, however, a general meeting held at the residence of Mr George Matthew, decided on the formation of the Toorak Bowling Club. By relinquishing their moral right to the recreation reserve, they were enabled to acquire the present very valuable site. Applications for membership began to roll in, debentures were issued and freely taken up and, assisted by the genial personality and indomitable energy of the President, the committee soon overcame the many difficulties that confronted them.
The clubhouse and grounds rapidly took shape, for which much credit was due to to the honorary architect, Mr EH McMichael.The clubhouse was opened in August 1919 and on November 1, just 14 months after the inception of the Club, they were in the happy position of having enough money in debentures held by members to cover all expenses of construction. They possessed two bowling greens, two grass tennis courts, a croquet lawn and a clubhouse containing two first class billiard tables and replete with every convenience. The cost of ground, buildings &c and of laying out the greens and flower gardens, including a charming rosery, was approximately 3,800 pounds, exclusive of 1,000 pounds for the greenkeeper’s residence.”
“The fashionable suburb of Toorak had a great day on Saturday when they celebrated the opening of one of the finest, if not the best, bowling club greens in the whole of The Commonwealth. The colours of the club are black and white, and the members, with their black coats trimmed with white, and the club monogram in white on the outside pocket, looked very nice indeed. I would not be surprised if the other clubs nicknamed the Toorak Club ‘The Magpies’.”
The first Pennant game for the Club was played in 1920, and the early records indicate Toorak Bowling Club was soon one of the leading Adelaide Pennant Clubs.
Unfortunately, time has seen many changes to the original Club, with the tennis courts, croquet lawns and greenkeepers house sold off along the way. I wonder where the billiard tables went!
In 1994, during a period of rationalisation of many bowling clubs, the Burnside RSL Bowling Club, formerly on Portrush Road opposite Burnside Village, merged with the Toorak Bowling Club to form the Toorak Burnside Bowling Club.
Due to financial pressures on the Club and ever increasing costs, it was decided to sell the property to the Burnside Council in 2002 under an arrangement which provides an ongoing cashflow stream to the Club over 15 years and security of tenure to lease the premises at a peppercorn rental. Renegotiation of the lease with the Burnside Council will occur in 2017, by which time the club will be in a strong financial position.
1919
Official launch of club.
1965
Extension to clubhouse.
2002
Sale of club land to Burnside Council.
2018
Centenary year.
1918
First meeting to create Toorak Bowling Club
1953
Formation of Toorak Women’s Bowling Club.
1994
Merger with Burnside Bowling Club to create Toorak Burnside Bowling Club.
2010
Major fire of clubhouse.
1918
First meeting to create Toorak Bowling Club
1919
Official launch of club.
1953
Formation of Toorak Women’s Bowling Club.
1965
Extension to clubhouse.
1994
Merger with Burnside Bowling Club to create Toorak Burnside Bowling Club.
2002
Sale of club land to Burnside Council.
2010
Major fire of clubhouse.
2018
Centenary year.
Management
Patron
Hon John Darley MLC
President
Matt Goss
Board of Management
Vicki Feast (Chair)
David Gamble (Treasurer)
Sue Neale (Secretary)
Paul Addle
Carol Dean
David Manley
Graham Wright
Chair of Selectors
Albert Kruimel
Administration Manager
Sue Neale
Bar Manager
John Roberts
Committees and Working Groups
All Committees and Working Groups report to the Board of Management
House Manager
Trevor Bairstow
Night Owls
Sue Neale (Coordinator) John Roberts, Ian Brereton, David Gamble, Chris Grabczewski and Graeme Litster
Social Events
Carol Sullivan (Coordinator), Brian Apps, Barbara Bairstow, David Gamble (Board portfolio) and Marilynn Weydling
Functions Manager
Sue Neale
Tiger Patrol
Graham Wright (Coordinator), Brian Apps, Trevor Bairstow, David Gamble, Matt Goss, Albert Kruimel, David Manley Ian Munro and Sue Neale (Board portfolio)
Website, Facebook & Instagram
Peter Edwards (Coordinator), Corrina Min and John Roberts
Sponsorship
Chris Grabczewski and John Roberts
Coaching Development & Mentoring Committee
Denise Andrews (Mentor Coordinator), Trevor Bairstow, Terry Dean (Arm Coach), Matt Goss, Simon Ketley, Allan Walker (Mentor) and Graham Wright
Youth Committee
Trevor Feast (Coordinator), Paul Addle, Gary Miles, John Roberts and Graham Wright
Pre-season Planning Working Group
Trevor Feast and Albert Kruimel
Pennant Selection Panel
See the Pennant page
Club Championships Coordinator
Myriam Sandelance
Tournament Directors
Albert Kruimel – (Australia Day) Diggers’ Day
Graham Wright – Curry Cup
Strategic Planning Committee
Vicki Feast (Coordinator and Board portfolio), Denise Andrews and Carol Dean
Grants
Paul Addle (Board portfolio)
Bar Volunteers
Carol Dean, Terry Dean, David Gamble, Leon Gerlach, Albert Kruimel, Sue Neale, John Roberts and Carolyn Sullivan
Taylor’s Cup Super Challenge Managers
Trevor Feast (Silver Division)
Ian Brereton (Bronze Division)
MBA & Bowls SA Liaison
Vicki Feast
Club Historian
Carl Hopkins
Club Trading Hours
Summer Bar Trading Hours
Wednesday 12:00pm-6:00pm
Thursday 6:00pm-10:30pm
Friday 4:00pm-7:00pm
Saturday 12:00pm-7:00pm
Under the Liquor Licencing Act it is an offence for members and/or visitors to bring alcohol on to these premises for private consumption.
Private functions are exempt from this clause in the Act due to the requirement of a special ‘one off’ licence for each function which may include the supply of alcohol of choice and consequently attracts a corkage fee.
Admin Office Hours
Monday 9:30am-1:30pm
Friday 3:00pm-5:00pm
Club subscriptions
Membership subscriptions for Toorak Burnside Bowling Club (includes GST) are as follows
Club Policies
The club policies can be viewed with the links below