"The History of Newport Bowling Club"
After a number of preliminary meetings, the first of which was on 23rd April, 1938, a decision was taken by 13 local men on 23rd July, 1938, to form the Newport and District Bowling Club.
After some negotiations with the local council - then Warringah Shire Council - a General Meeting of the Club was called for 3rd March, 1939, the name was changed to the Newport Bowling and Recreation Club, and the constitution was framed. The negotiations with the Council resulted in a portion of the then-only sports area in Newport being reserved for the Club. The original Clubhouse was built, and Number 1 Green constructed, the latter being opened for play in January 1941 (although the Official Opening seems to have been delayed for two years, as a 16 foot strip of turf had been stolen, then replaced in error with blue couch, and it took the two years to remedy matters).
The photo above shows the Clubhouse and number 1 green about 1950. In subsequent years, the Clubhouse was twice extended, and in May 1953, the club changed its name to Newport Bowling Club Limited.
On Boxing Day, 1955, the second green and the outside bar were opened, followed the third green in March 1960.
Mixed bowling was introduced by direction of the Annual General Meeting in August, 1962, but it was not until May 1990 that the Articles of Association were changed to incorporate within the Newport Bowling Club Limited two bowling sections - the Newport Bowling Club for men and the Newport Beach Womens Bowling Club.
The importance of the Club in the development and maintenance of the local sporting area is worth recording. On the east of Barrenjoey Road lies Spurway Park (named after one of our early Presidents and benefactors), and immediately opposite on the west side is Newport Park, the home of local football and cricket as well as of the childcare centre and the scout shed. When land for the second green was requested from the Council, pressure from local residents to maintain a sufficient area for childrens' recreation caused the Council to resume the area which is now Newport Park, and to immediately build the playing fields.
Spurway Park was originally the home to both our Club and the Newport Womens' Bowling Club which had been formed in 1966 and which had two greens to the east of ours. Leading up to 1990, discussions were held between the two clubs, but the Womens' Club rejected the idea of merging. Consequently, our womens' bowling section was created so that husbands and wives could be part of the same club. During the 1990's, the separate Newport Womens Bowling Club has been disbanded. Their clubhouse subsequently became the home for Newport Recreation Club which used the two greens for croquet, but subsequently was also disbanded. That clubhouse and the two greens remain unused, but form part of the Spurway Park redevelopment plan which Pittwater Council has developed, and look likely to be converted to daytime tennis courts.
