Tongala Bowls Club mural committee members with community group representatives who, along with financial support from Campaspe Shire Council’s community grants program, made the project a reality.
A spectacular mural facing the Tongala Bowls Club car park is the first step toward the Campaspe pennant bowls powerhouse celebrating its centenary at the end of this year.
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Bill Gooda, whose name is attached to one of the town’s major streets, hosted bowls at a private club on his property from 1919 until the official opening of the club by Deakin Shire’s Councillor Strutt on December 2, 1925.
That, or as close to it as possible, will be the date the club celebrates its 100th year.
On the weekend it was a case of acknowledging the partnership with the Campaspe Shire Council and the community groups who had made the mural project come to fruition.
Campaspe Shire Council provided the club with $3000 through its Community Grants Program and renowned Tongala artist Murray Ross was immediately commissioned to work with leading club figures Wayne Cowley, Steve Usher and Peter Tinning to complete the design.
Mr Tinning, part of the club’s most famous lawn bowls family, prepared the submission with letters of support from the Tongala Lions Club, Tongala Development Group and the Tongala Op Shop.
“It became quite a community effort and we are really appreciative of the support of the council and our own town groups,” he said.
Community Grants Program recipients were announced in December and the club immediately swung into action to have the mural and historic signage attached to the wall.
Along with a brief history of the club there are also images depicting the history of the sport and a salute to six of the club’s most successful bowlers - three of them from the Tinning family.
Brothers Geoff, Keith and Ivan Tinning are all life members, two of them are former presidents, Geoff and Keith have won eight club singles championships between them and Ivan spent 20 years as the club’s tournament secretary.
Tongala Bowls Club has a new mural that is a prominent feature in the main car park at the Finlay Rd rinks.
Geoff Cameron, who represented Victoria on 136 occasions, was a two-time state pairs champion with Geoff Tinning and is also a former club president, is another face on the mural.
The others are state representative and nine time women’s singles club champion Gwen Hitchens, along with another regular state representative and 11-time club singles champion Alby Smith.
Premiership teams from the 1967-68 season, a women’s premiership team from 1996-97 and the 2021-22 premiership team are also featured. There were four Tinnings in that 2021-22 team.
Mr Tinning said the club had a major event planned for its centenary in December this year and the mural would be a feature of that event.
“We are extremely grateful for the work of Campaspe Shire’s Marc Turri and Mel Floyd, who were worked with to make this happen. They were both sensational,” he said.
He also explained that Community Bank Tongala had come on board to help the club with landscaping work on its garden entrance.
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