After 88 years, Tainui Bowling Club must roll on
THE Tainui Bowling Club will tomorrow hand over the keys to its beloved base at Tahuna Rd, after 88 years at the address.
The building, which also houses the Tainui Croquet Club and, until two years ago, was home to the Tainui Indoor Bowling Club, is likely to be demolished after asbestos was discovered in several areas of the building.
The bowling club will move next door, to the Westpac Bowls Centre and, in some respects, the move will be a relief.
The club was struggling to maintain the green and the cost of leasing the land was placing demands on the members to continually raise funds.
Tainui Bowling Club treasurer Jean Shelton said it would be ‘‘quite sad not having our own green’’.
‘‘But having the stadium to go into as our headquarters will be fine. It is sad but it must be worse for the likes of Rex [Sim], who has been with the club for over 50 years.’’
Tainui Sports Society president Jack Gibbs said the bowling club had ‘‘voted overwhelmingly to stay together’’.
‘‘That is why we’ve all moved into the stadium,’’ he said, adding a bowling club was about people and not a building.
The club will play its outdoor bowls at the St Kilda Bowling Club and still has 28 members.
Tainui Croquet Club president Barbara Ward said the club had not made any decision about its future but a special meeting is planned for this evening.
The croquet club will have to move, though, as the DCC has decided not to offer a new lease.
DCC parks and recreation group manager Robert West said several areas of the building contained asbestos, including the internal roof ceiling space and external roof.
Asbestos was also found in gutters and paths but none was detected within the building.
‘‘Although the areas where asbestos has been found pose a low risk for people, the con dition of the building overall means it is not appropriate for it to be leased out,’’ West said.
West said the Tainui Sports Society leased the land from the DCC but the building was owned
by the society.
The society informed the DCC earlier in the year that it wished to give up its lease on June 30. At that point, ownership of the building will move to the DCC.