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 – Tuesdays (Summer) and on Wednesday and Saturdays (Winter).
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 – are 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 Club is a welcoming place for everyone including 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 Clubs 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 greenkeepers 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
President
Chair of the Board
Treasurer
Board Secretary
Board Members
Chair of Selectors
Greens Manager
Greenkeeper
Admin/Functions Manager
Hon John Darley MLC
Graham Wright
Jan Chinnery
Doug Duncan
John Walker
Mike Dwyer, Vicki Feast, Dennis Reid, John Whelan
Albert Kruimel
Dennis Reid
James Gregory
Jan Chinnery
Committees and Working Groups
All Committees and Working Groups report to the Board of Management
Bar Manager
Corporate and Private Functions
Centenary Events Committee
Finance
Greens Manager
Grounds Manager
Tiger Patrol
Indoor Bowls
Website Manager
Website Working Group
Dennis Reid.
Jan Chinnery
Carl Hopkins, Barb Bairstow, Trevor Bairstow, Mandy van Dyk, Rob van Dyk, Lyndon Stacy
Doug Duncan, Mike Dwyer
Dennis Reid
Dennis Reid
Leon Gerlach, Brian Kenworthy, Graham Wright, Ian Munro, John Loeser
Jan Miller
Peter Edwards
Lyndon Stacy, Katie Gilfillan, Doug Duncan, John Roberts
Club Championships
Grants
Sponsorship Manager
House Manager
Mentor for newcomers
Night Owls
Rubbish Bin Monitor
Ian Munro, Brian Jenkins
Brian Kenworthy, Garry Oborne, Doug Duncan
Alan Walker
Dennis Reid
Vacant
Lyndon Stacy, John Roberts , Lyndon Stacy, Chris Grabczewski, Ian Brereton,
Mandy van Dyk, Matt Goss, David Gamble.
Lyndon Stacy
Winter Social Bowls
Summer Social Bowls
Social Events
Ian Brereton, Barry Taylor
Vicki Feast
Barbara Bairstow, Trevor Bairstow, Lyndon Stacy, Mandy van Dyk, Rob van Dyk,
Marilyn Weydling, Carol Sullivan, Jan Riordan
Tournament Directors
TBBC Constitution
Women’s Working Group
Graham Wright, Albert Kruimel ( * includes State Events, Country Carnival )
John Whelan, John Walker, Brian Jenkins, Doug Duncan
Vicki Feast, Jan Riordan, Katie Gilfillan, Brian Jenkins, Barb Bairstow, Carol Dean
Gillian Triance
Bar Volunteers
Tiger Tales
Facebook and Instagram
Taylor Challenge Silver Divn Manager
Taylor Challenge Bronze Divn Manager
Leon Gerlach, Mike Dwyer, Vicki Feast, Dennis Reid, Jan Chinnery, Katie Gilfillan,
Graham Wright
John Roberts
Lyndon Stacy, John Roberts
Trevor Horne
Ian Brereton
See Admin Manager for further details of roles and responsibilities for Committees and Working Groups
The Womens Working Group
Club Trading Hours
Under the State Liquor Laws, the trading hours for the club are;
MONDAY Closed
TUESDAY 4.00pm – 6.30pm
WEDNESDAY 11.00am – 7.00pm
THURSDAY 1.00pm – 10.30pm
FRIDAY 4.00pm – 7.30pm
SATURDAY 11.00am – 7.30pm
SUNDAY Closed
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.
Club subscriptions
Membership subscriptions for Toorak Burnside Bowling Club (includes GST) are as follows
New members receive a name badge, bowls stickers and club shirt and pants (first year only)
Pennant Player
New member – pennant player
- (half fee plus estimated affiliation fee – first year)
Pennant players transferring from other clubs
- (half fee plus estimated affiliation fee – first year)
Social members - non pennant player
New member – non pennant player
Member of another SA club
- Registered with another club.
Junior/Student
Non playing member
Become a member today
Download our membership form