Bowling club with a difference
A Southland bowling club is unique for its name and location – on a dairy farm.
Bowls New Zealand confirmed that of the 450 registered clubs the James Macpherson Bowling Club at Waianiwa was the only one in the country named after a person.
The club was formed and built on land owned by Macpherson’s brother, Andrew, 85 years ago. The club’s grounds are now part of a 300-hectare dairy farm owned by the Macphersons’ great nephew, Gavin Macpherson.
The club does not pay rent or have a lease on the land but if the organisation ceased, all assets would be returned to the
Macpherson family, club president Graeme McCallum said.
The club was a special part of his family’s history, Gavin Macpherson said.
‘‘It is an oddity [to have a club named after a person].
‘‘They’re usually named after a town, city or suburb.’’
James Macpherson was badly wounded in World War I and never married, Gavin Macpherson said.
James Macpherson paid for the club’s facilities and equipment and did a lot of the construction work, McCallum said.
‘‘At the first [club] meeting members unanimously voted him [James] in as president and chose to name the club after him for his contribution.
‘‘It gives me a bit of a thrill because this [the club] is 85 years this year that we’ve been operating and to be the only club [named after a person] in the country . . . we’ve only got 20 members. It’s quite significant.’’
McCallum became a club member 23 years ago. He has been president for 14 years and is the tournament secretary and greenkeeper. His wife, Robyn, is club secretary and the women’s tournament secretary.
‘‘The ladies have a pudding tournament . . . at afternoon teatime, everyone gets a pudding,’’ McCallum said.
Members have the Macpherson family crest – a Scottish highland cat – on their club shirt.