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THE TARTAN ON UNIVERSITY SQUARE
A History of Victoria Bowling Club 1876-1999
June Senyard
illustrations, appendices, notes
135 pp. (pb)
$27.45 (+ Postage)
ISBN 1876718 36 6
Lawn bowls became a popular sport in the 1870s and 1880s for middle-class gentlemen to indulge in gentle exercise. Founded in 1876 the Victoria Bowling Club became a place for male sociability and business networking - a fraternity similar to the Masonic Lodge.
For a century the Club remained a male preserve but from the 1970s women were admitted as bowlers, a Ladies Committee was formed and women also played important roles as volunteers. As a result there were subtle changes in the culture of the Club: a smoke night was cancelled in 1984 and replaced with a family picnic.
June Senyard, from the Department of History at the University of Melbourne, has written an informative history of the Club on University Square over 122 years: topics covered include bowls as a sport, the green and the pavilion, prominent bowlers such as Glyn Bosisto, liquor and food, competitions and trophies, entertainment and the financial structure of the club.
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