Volunteers recognised for AO service
Volunteers are the life-blood of all sports and the sport of bowls is very fortunate to have so many loyal and committed volunteers right across the country that contribute to many and varied events in bowls. With the recent announcement that the sports richest event, the Australian Open, is moving to the Gold Coast for the next five years from 2015, many of the event’s army of volunteers tenure as volunteers may have come to an end – some after ten years of service. On Sunday, April 27, Bowls Australia hosted a ‘thank you’ function for almost 80 of the past and present Australian Open volunteers who have been involved in the event and made a significant contribution to it since its inception in Victoria in 2005. At the event, Bowls Australia Chief Executive Officer, Neil Dalrymple emphasised the importance of volunteering to bowls events as a whole but specifically one the size and scope of the Australian Open. A special acknowledgement and presentation of a commemorative pen was made to the 13 volunteers who have served at all ten Australian Opens since 2005. “I extend a warm thank you to volunteers right around Australia but specifically those long-serving volunteers from the Australian Open for the important role they’ve played in delivering many successful Australian Opens in Melbourne and wider Victoria. We could not deliver these events without people volunteering their time so generously and with such great enthusiasm. ” During the 10 years the Australian Open has been staged, we have been fortunate to have welcomed over 500 volunteers into the event and each and every one’s contribution is valued and appreciated,” Dalrymple said. The inaugural Australian Open was held at Yarraville/Footscray in 2005 with all but two of the events since held at the Darebin Interntational Sports Centre in Melbourne. The events in 2009 and 2010 were held at the Shepparton Park Bowls Club. From 2015, the Australian Open will be held right across the Gold Coast region taking in over 20 clubs. Caption: The attending 10-year service volunteers