Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke’s face lit up when she visited Young Bowling Club today to see how Stronger Country Communities Fund money is helping to make bowling more enjoyable.
The club received $107,594 out of Round 2 of the Stronger Country Communities Fund, which it is using to replace lighting and shades.
“The lighting on Green 3 was old and didn’t do much to provide a decent level of illumination for night games,” Ms Cooke said.
“The new lighting uses LEDs and is powerful enough to cater to all levels of competition, from social bowls right up to championship games, while at the same time being more energy efficient.
“The installation of new shades will also provide good protection from the sun, whether that be in summer or even on a bright autumn day, and it’s fantastic to hear that the club members will be setting up the shades themselves – that’s just the sort of hands-on community involvement which is so characteristic of the Cootamundra electorate.”
Young Bowling Club secretary Cliff Traynor said the lighting will enable the club to save wear on the greens by sharing usage.
“While the lights on our greens are relatively modern, the lights on Green 3 were extremely old and the quality of their lighting wasn’t so good, they weren’t bright enough,” he said.
“The new lights will allow us to rotate our play so that we are not concentrating on just one or two greens and increasing wear on them.”
Mr Traynor pointed out the club is being sensible with both finances and exposure to the sun.
“The cost we were quoted to put the shades up when they are delivered was prohibitive, so we are doing it ourselves,” he said.
“We play bowls all year round and in summertime the use of shades is regular. Even in the last few weeks when we’re not far from winter and had some warm-ish days, people are still using the shades.
“People are more conscious these days about not being out in the sun for extended periods.”
