page_title: Heathmont Bowls Club
section_title: Foundation
hierarchical_section_title: Heathmont Bowls Club / History / Foundation
caption_attribution_description: English: Founding members - Heathmont Club
context_page_description: Heathmont Bowls Club is a lawn bowls club founded in 1957 and situated in the outer Eastern Melbourne suburb of Heathmont, adjacent to HE Parker Reserve and the Dandenong Creek Trail. The club is affiliated with Bowls Victoria and plays in the Eastern Ranges bowls region.
context_section_description: The establishment of the club was conceived by Jim O'Brien, Jack Egan and Clarrie Beard J.P., who met regularly at Daisy's Ringwood East Hotel. Realising that Heathmont was a very "dry" (non-alcoholic) area, they consequently decided to form a club and to apply for a liquor licence.
  On 18 June 1957 a meeting took place at Jim O'Brien's home. The focus of that meeting was to buy local land and to set up a social and sporting club to serve the needs of men from Heathmont and surrounding districts.
  Jim O'Brien, Jack Egan and Phil Jones successfully purchased three acres of land in Heathmont for £3,000 for the development of the club.
  A committee of six members, from the 56 foundation members, was then formed to run what was then known as the Heathmont Club. Phil Jones was elected as President, Jim O'Brien and Tom Perrott as vice-presidents, John Painter as secretary and Norm Loudon as treasurer.
  The original objectives of the club were to provide bowling greens, tennis courts, squash courts, table tennis, billiards, darts, angling and other sporting activities.
  The club was incorporated under the companies act on 26 August 1958. The inaugural AGM was held in November 1959, at which it was decided that the commencement of bowling green number one would begin immediately. The green was completed and ready for the 1960/61 season.
  The official opening of the first green and clubhouse was performed by Royal Victorian Bowls Association vice-president David Klein, and Ringwood State Member JW Manson MLA, on Saturday 17 September 1960.
  One competition side was formed that year and the first game, played at home to Sassafras on 8 October 1960 was cancelled due to inclement weather conditions.
  In 1960 foundation member, Bill Gillespie, won the club's first championship.
  In the first year the Club won 38 trophies.
caption: Founding members of Heathmont Club
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