Kathy Gobbart enters Bowls WA Hall of Fame

by Aaron Delaporte on June 23, 2022

Bowls WA Awards Night – Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame is the highest honour a player can achieve in the sport of bowls in Western Australia. Eligibility into the Hall of Fame is restricted to players who have represented WA at National level or Australia at International level. Hall of Fame Inductee’s must be of exemplary character and will have made a significant contribution to the promotion of the sport, so it is reserved for the very best our game has seen.

Kerry Andersen on behalf of the Hall of Fame Committee which includes Hall of Fame members Beryl Godfrey and Steve Srhoy was pleased to announce the 39th Inductee, a friend and often worthy adversary on the green for Kerry that being Kathy Gobbart.

A summary of all Bowls WA Award winners can be found via this link

Kerry Andersen with Kathy Gobbart

Kathy’s career in the sport in both long and distinguished. She first rose to prominence winning the WA Country Bowler of the Year in 1995 after claiming the Country Week Singles and has been a regular finalist and winner since then and most recently she won another Country Week Singles and Champion of Club Champions Singles this year. She represented WA on 154 occasions and played for Australia in the Trans-Tasman Development side. She has won five state titles including the 1999 State Singles and seven Country Week titles. A remarkable career which is truly worthy of recognition alongside the champions of our sport. Kathy began her bowls at Dandaragan before moving to Gingin which is where she is most well known but also had a few years playing at Sorrento Bowling Club.

Along with recognising the many great players she was joining, some of which she had played with or against it was her family that really gave her the desire and support to be the great competitor on the greens that she would become. Kathy recalled on the night. “My journey to become a competitive bowler began when I was born into a family of highly competitive boys who excelled at most sports, and I had to fight to get a look in. I was seen to be a little four-foot girl with a pole vault stick trying to compete with my brothers who were flying over great heights. My father always said that I was his toughest child as I would never give up. After returning from New Zealand with my son and when he started kindy, my mother suggested that I play bowls. My main concern was the outfit as I had just met my late husband and I thought that if he saw me in ‘the outfit’ it would have been a definite deterrent. This wasn’t the case as Colin became a great supporter of my bowls as does my husband Norm now.”

“My club mates and friends have always been very supportive, some of them are here with me tonight. And of course, you don’t win these things without having people support you in the game. I have been lucky in singles but also, I’ve had some team event successes and I look at people here who have helped me along the way.” Kathy added acknowledging those who had supported and helped contribute to her success, along with thanking Bowls WA for the Induction into the Hall of Fame.

Kathy whilst largely acknowledged as a terrific player also contributes to the game via coaching something which she has been very active with in helping the next generation of players come through, particularly around the country areas in the Northern Zone.

A list of her best achievements is below acknowledging she has also won many other events at club and more recently Over 60’s level, too numerous to add them all to the list.

We salute a champion of our game in Kathy Gobbart and say well done on an amazing career in the game.