Part 1: Bowls club secures future with synthetic green

The irony hung thick in the air as members of the St George Bowling Club voted to dig up their only green in a bid to save their much-loved club.

Club treasurer George Thomas remembers the horrified looks on faces around the room as he delivered the news that they needed to either replace their natural green with a synthetic surface or resign themselves to going broke.

"I basically said to them 'it's a synthetic green or there's no green at all'," Mr Thomas said.

"We simply couldn't sustain the maintenance costs of the old green. Wages, chemicals, irrigation, mowing - the costs were all going up and we were struggling to stay afloat."

They canvassed a range of options on how to fund the new synthetic surface, which is becoming a popular alternative to natural grass because of its low maintenance.

However, it wasn't until Mr Thomas went along to a funding workshop that things started looking up for the club.

The club subsequently applied for, and subsequently received, a grant of $64,000 through the Queensland Government's Minor Facilities Program.

St George Shire Council agreed to fund the remainder of the $100,000 project.

The Minor Facilities Program is one of three programs that supports the development of new and improved sport and recreation facilities.

Each year, roughly 400 organisations across Queensland share about $11 Million through the Minor Facilities Program, which targets new and improved sport and recreation facilities at the local level.

The program demonstrates the State Government's commitment to developing better, more accessible places for sport and recreation, which is vital to the goal of getting more Queenslanders physically active.

After completing the plans for their new facilities, members of the St George Bowling Club said goodbye to their old green during a farewell bowls day before the machinery moved in to prepare the site for the synthetic green.

Construction took just 14 days.

"We had the Mayor out to do the official opening and two of our foundation members from the 1950s put the first bowls down," Mr Thomas said.

"It's taken a little while but just about everyone's happy with it now and quite a few of the ones who were against it now think it's better than the original green."

More importantly, it has helped the club to secure its future.

"This is a whole new era for the club," Mr Thomas said.

"Not only are we attracting new members and social players, we can also play at night all-year round.

"I can't speak highly enough of the Minor Facilities Program. Right now the club just wouldn't exist without the support we got from the Queensland Government and the council."

Read more about how St George Bowling Club undertook the development of its new synthetic green.

Part 1: Bowls club secures future with synthetic green

The irony hung thick in the air as members of the St George Bowling Club voted to dig up their only green in a bid to save their much-loved club.

Club treasurer George Thomas remembers the horrified looks on faces around the room as he delivered the news that they needed to either replace their natural green with a synthetic surface or resign themselves to going broke.

"I basically said to them 'it's a synthetic green or there's no green at all'," Mr Thomas said.

"We simply couldn't sustain the maintenance costs of the old green. Wages, chemicals, irrigation, mowing - the costs were all going up and we were struggling to stay afloat."

They canvassed a range of options on how to fund the new synthetic surface, which is becoming a popular alternative to natural grass because of its low maintenance.

However, it wasn't until Mr Thomas went along to a funding workshop that things started looking up for the club.

The club subsequently applied for, and subsequently received, a grant of $64,000 through the Queensland Government's Minor Facilities Program.

St George Shire Council agreed to fund the remainder of the $100,000 project.

The Minor Facilities Program is one of three programs that supports the development of new and improved sport and recreation facilities.

Each year, roughly 400 organisations across Queensland share about $11 Million through the Minor Facilities Program, which targets new and improved sport and recreation facilities at the local level.

The program demonstrates the State Government's commitment to developing better, more accessible places for sport and recreation, which is vital to the goal of getting more Queenslanders physically active.

After completing the plans for their new facilities, members of the St George Bowling Club said goodbye to their old green during a farewell bowls day before the machinery moved in to prepare the site for the synthetic green.

Construction took just 14 days.

"We had the Mayor out to do the official opening and two of our foundation members from the 1950s put the first bowls down," Mr Thomas said.

"It's taken a little while but just about everyone's happy with it now and quite a few of the ones who were against it now think it's better than the original green."

More importantly, it has helped the club to secure its future.

"This is a whole new era for the club," Mr Thomas said.

"Not only are we attracting new members and social players, we can also play at night all-year round.

"I can't speak highly enough of the Minor Facilities Program. Right now the club just wouldn't exist without the support we got from the Queensland Government and the council."

Read more about how St George Bowling Club undertook the development of its new synthetic green.