Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says idea council can save bowls ‘deluded’

After high-profile collapses of bowls clubs across Brisbane the opposition has demanded the council craft a plan to save others. But the Lord Mayor says the idea is ‘deluded’.

Groundskeeper Paul McLellan and club members Mick Watson and Ken Morrison at Cannon Hill Bowls Club. Picture: Brian Bennion

AFTER the high profile collapse of bowls clubs across the city the opposition has demanded Brisbane City Council urgently come up with a plan to save the city’s remaining bowlos.

However, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner described the call as “deluded” insisting no councillor or government could save a sport and it would be a burden on ratepayers.

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Labor Cr Steve Griffiths moved an urgency motion that the council develop an action plan to save Brisbane’s remaining community bowls clubs within four weeks.

He listed some of the city’s failed clubs: East Brisbane Bowls Club, Sunnybank Bowls Club, Moorooka Bowls Club and, most recently, the Cannon Hill Bowls Club.

The former East Brisbane Bowls Club is now the home of Backbone Youth Arts and Sunnybank Bowls Club has been transformed into the Sunnybank Community Centre.

Cr Griffiths said Moorooka Bowls Club had a 50 year history and in its heyday hosted the 1988 Commonwealth Games.

Moorooka Bowls Club went into administration on May 7. Picture: AAP/Renae Droop

“We have no plans to save our bowls blubs. They’ve been in power for 16 years, they’ve held the mayoralty of this city for 16 years and after 16 years they have no plan,” he said.

“This is wrong. This is wrong that we have a council here and a mayor here who have no plan for our bowls clubs.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner was blunt in his response to Cr Griffiths after the motion was voted down by LNP councillors.

“If you think any councillor or any government can save a sport then you are deluded,” he said.

“People have a right to choose what sports they play and clubs have a right to manage themselves.”

Cr Schrinner said there were instances of bowls clubs across the city that had changed their operating model and seen their fortunes change.

“The answer is not for council to step in and save the bowls clubs — ultimately that would be an increasing burden on the ratepayer every year,” he said.

The former East Brisbane Bowls Club is now the home of Backbone Youth Arts. Picture: AAP/Richard Walker

He said the council could not “wave a magic wand” and fix clubs’ declining popularity or membership it could only ensure the city catered for a wide variety of sports.

“We are aware bowls clubs are struggling … where clubs are on council land we really do our best at trying to help them,” he said.

“If a bowls club closed down on council land then we make that land available to other sporting clubs or community uses.”

Earlier, during the Lifestyle and Community Services committee, chair Peter Matic had assured Labor Cr Kara Cook that there were “conversations” about what could be done to support clubs.

“I think it’s really trying to get in as early as possible, when we start to see things happen,” he said.

“We have had a conversation around that, around what more can we do in this space, and we’re looking at that at the moment because we agree we don’t want to see any more go. We want to help as much as we can.”

He said there were already various grants to support community groups with resilience around governance and administration.

Cr Cook also pressed him on the future of the Cannon Hill Bowls Club site: “I’m seeking an assurance that there won’t be any selling of that land”.

Cr Matic’s emphatic response was “Oh, god no”.

He said there needed to be investigation around whether there was an opportunity to maintain bowls at the site but also broaden its uses.