Main families involved in the building of the Willow Tree Bowling Club were,,
Heymans, Schofields, Greers, Dalys, Hector Barwick, Sevils, Swains, Perkins, Howards, Avards,
Martins, Symonds, Press's, Phipps, Wilsons, Carters, Mackeys.
Building.
Volunteers for labour and machinery. Trucks and bulldozers to dig the greens out, on weekdays
and weekends. Vince Bowe and Tom Wilcox were the main carpenters. The pine timber was cut on Barney Greers "Joselands" property and milled at Austins in Quirindi.
In financing the club, money was raised through
debentures.
In fosicking through old receipt books and records, just a few outstanding examples of the generosity in those days.
R. R. Schofield. £120.
M Boland. £100.
W T and district bushmans carnival £100.
Farmers and Settlers association. £100.
Uncle John and Helen Perkins paid for the new roller. Money paid back with interest.
Accounts that stand out from the construction of the Club.
Wonderlick ceiling. £216.17.00
Roofing Iron. £165.00.00.
This was a tremendous achievment by our founding membersto put this little club
together.
Some figures on bar takings in the early years.
1.11.1965. £383.15.00
22.11.1965. £372.18.01
20.12.1965. £433.01.11
29.12.1965. £615.09.06
At that time a new holden car was about £1100.
These takings were paid in by Cyril Phipps and signed by the banky, Ross Williams.
Over the years we have had many banky treasure's including Williams, Pollard, Kingsmill, Barwick,
Crane. All doing a magnificent and thankless job.
Not forgetting the police and school teachers/headmasters who came to Willow Tree in their line of work and the input they had into the club.
In the early to mid 80's the club was in financial difficulties, with the population dwindling, especially on the farms, where most farmers needed less workers than before due to increasing maecanisation. Voluntary bar work
was started with a roster and everyone learnt to poor a beer, wash the glasses and even hook up the kegs and get the beer to the appropriate taps, with great difficulty at times.
Timeline.
Victor Heyman, Ranville Schofield and Jack Daly talk about the formation of the club. Building of the clubhouse and first green. Town was thriving at the time with sheep and wool being worth good money as well as
wheat. Plenty of farm workers.
Building. Carpenter Vince Bowe and volunteers.
Pine was donated by Barney Greer.
Was
cut and milled by Reg Sevil at his saw mill.
AACo supplied the land in 1959 for the cost of 10/- shillings.
Excavations by Hector Barwick and Ranville Schofield.
Howard and Bernards carted material with trucks.
Ditches for green was manufactured in Armidale.
New electric green roller was
aquired on 31st May 1960 at a cost of £265.
New bottle fridge was purchased 17/11/61 for £298.
Bore was put down at cost of £91.
Plans to build new [second]?? green.
Pres. Sec. Tres Club Champion.
1961/62
V G Heyman J Kelly/K Tobin R Williams
1962/63 “ R R Heyman
“ V Bowe
1963/64 “
“ D Pollard J H Sevil
1964/65 “
“ “
E K Hines
1965/66 “ “
M C Kingsmill “
1966/67 R
R Schofield V G Heyman “ J
J Daly
1967/68 “ “
“ T Sevil
1968/69 “
“ I Cadell E
K Hines
1969/70 J J Daly G Bayliss “
J H Sevil
1970/71 “ “
“ W Daly
1971/72 “
“ G S Barwick J J Daly
1972/73
“ “ “
W Daly
1973/74 “ A K Avard G P Crane
J J Daly
1974/75 “ G Bayliss “
W Daly
1975/76 R R Schofield “ “
“
1976/77 “ R Kelly Crane/Packham
T Sevil