History
Our History – Beginning to 2024
The Yass Bowling Club was first formed on 30 September 1924 when a meeting of 17 interested citizens met at the Mechanics Institute and the decision to form a club was made.
The site of the current club was purchased in May 1925 from the Barber Estate for 25 Shillings a foot. A clubhouse was later donated by A.B Triggs who at the time was one of the biggest stock dealers in the state.
The new bowlers obviously took to the game quickly, as in September 1927 three years to the day since the club was formed, it was decided to enter a team in the intertown competition known as the Cumberland Cup in which Canberra, Goulburn and Moss Vale had been competing.
It took some 26 years for the club to win its first pennant with victory in the district number 3 pennant in 1953 with Roy Williams at the helm. Roy is a legend of the club who went on to win many events including a record 15 singles titles at the club.
The Yass Bowling Club has had many trials and tribulations over its 100 year life. It has survived major events like World War II, and the great depression. Financial woes have struck the club on a number of occasions over the years including in 1976 where a $100,000 extension to the club eventually cost $210,000 to complete. That was obviously a lot of money at the time and resulted in significant debt over a long period of time, at least until the late 1980’s.
The early 2000’s were another tough time for the club and more recently COVID-19 severely depleted our funds to a point where we had to essentially pass the hat around by creating a new category of five year memberships. Through all of the tough times our club has survived.
We owe this great club to the dedication and commitment of the volunteers that have put up their hand over the last 100 years to make sure that the club has survived and prospered. Many people here tonight fall into that category and later we will honour four of them as life members of our great club. Congratulations to each of them and I thank you for your service to our club.
In a book written about the history of the Yass Bowling Club our club and this made me think about how long 100 years really is. What stories these walls could tell if only they could speak. Imagine the fun and frivolity that has been had over the years at all of the dinner dances, weddings, birthday parties, and other celebrations held here over the last 100 years.
Our club is primarily a bowling club, here to promote the game of bowls, but for many of us it is much more than that. It’s a place where we can come to relax, to meet great people, to laugh, and to put our problems aside and simply enjoy life.
Looking forward the Yass Bowling Club is in a healthy financial position having just had our most successful year in recent memory. The Board is continuing to invest funds in upgrading and improving the club and its facilities, whilst trying to also build a bank that will ensure financial sustainability into the future.
On the bowls front we currently have 110 bowling members out of a total 874 members and we have expanded from having 3 pennant teams only three seasons ago, to having 5 teams last season. For the 2023 season we had 4 out of 4 teams in the grand final, winning one pennant, and last year 4 out of 5 teams made the grand final, winning 2 pennants.
Our junior members are bringing a new energy to the club and it is heartening to see the positive interactions between the juniors and our other members. The future for bowls at our club certainly looks bright and mark my words they will be giving the best of our current bowlers a run over the next few years.
History thanks to Simon Cassidy
Presidents
Click here for a history of Men’s and Women’s Presidents
Championships Winners – Click below
| Major Singles | Major Pairs | Triples | Fours |
| Minor Singles | Minor Pairs | ||
| Mixed Pairs | Mixed Fours | ||
| Novice Singles | Rookie Singles | ||
| Club Person of the Year |