Lawn bowler John Orrett celebrates 90th birthday at Lowlands Bowling Club

With more than two dozen titles under his belt over an illustrious 40-year stretch, the 90-year-old “king” of Newcastle lawn bowls has celebrated a very special milestone.

The bowlers at Newcastle’s Lowlands Bowling Club are a pretty happy bunch at the best of times, especially whenever they have a game on.

However on Wednesday morning there was a particularly special reason to roll up at the inner city club, with local legend John Orrett celebrating his 90th birthday with a game of bowls.

“I couldn’t think of anything better to do,” said Orrett.

Known locally as the “the king”, the 90-year-old has an incredible record as a bowler at Lowlands, winning more than 25 club titles over his almost 40 years at the club.

But despite the success over the years, Orrett was coy on his chances of a birthday victory.

“I think I’ve lost more than I’ve won recently, let me put it that way,” he said.

“That doesn’t really matter, as long as you’re down here playing.”

Bowlers at Newcastle's Lowlands Bowling Club celebrating the 90th birthday of member John Orrett (front row, with white, wide-brimmed hat). Picture: Greg Danvers

Orrett’s lawn bowls story started back in 1984, when the then 51-year-old was convinced by a couple of mates to come down and have a roll at Lowlands.

“I was a young fella then, now I’m regarded as an old fella,” he laughs.

“A few of my friends were playing bowls and they introduced me to it. I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ve give it a go.’”

A natural sportsman, Orrett took to bowls like a duck to water, winning the Club Major Pairs with good friend Bruce Buckland shortly after joining.

“It was good, I got straight into it. I did alright for a while, then somebody told me how to play it and that’s when I went bad,” Orrett laughs.

And by ‘bad’, the 90-year-old means cleaning up titles in what is one of the most illustrious records at the club.

With good mate Buckland, Orrett won eight Major Pairs Championships over a 20-year period.

He also took out three Major Singles titles in 1994, 1997 and 2003, won a further 11 championships in the Triples and Fours, while in arguably his most special achievement, Orrett teamed up with his wife Lola to win four Mixed Pairs titles in the 1992/1993, 1995/1996, 1999/2000 and 2004/2005 seasons.

“I had a lot of help,” Orrett says with typical modesty.

“You can’t do it on your own, you’ve got to have other people with you. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible.”

Orrett in action on his 90th birthday. Picture: Greg Danvers

And while winning was certainly nice, Orrett says some of his fondest memories are simply the hours spent out on the green with his good friends, paying special mention to the likes of Buckman, Peter Wilson and Alan Fogarty.

“They were all friends of mine and we all joined together, played together and had a great time.”

In honour of his achievements and dedication to the club, both John and his wife Lola were awarded life membership of Lowlands in 2018.

A born and bred Novocastrian, Orrett has witnessed how the game of lawn bowls has changed over his nearly 40 years on the greens, just as the city around him has.

“The dress was a lot different,” he said. “You had to have whites and that sort of thing. Now it’s a lot more casual, which it should be. It’s a lot easier now, but they were very strict in those days.”

And while ‘the king’ was just a young whipper snapper himself when he first rocked up, he says the more relaxed attitude is helping to bring in the next generation.

“We’ve found that younger people are starting to play bowls now rather than just the old type of players. That’s good to see.”

Another big change was one that was far more fundamental to the game – and which caused plenty of uproar.

“In those days they were all grass greens, which took a lot of attention to look after them,” he said.

“I remember when they originally put these artificial ones in, all the people who I know said, ‘Oh no, I don’t want to play on that, no way.’ But about a week after it was down they loved it. It was a lot easier for everybody,” he chuckles.

Orrett has won more than 25 titles during his 40 years at the club. Picture: Greg Danvers

Now four decades into his bowls career, there is still plenty about the sport that keeps the 90-year-old coming back.

“It’s the companionship. You look forward to it because you’ve got a lot of friends to talk to,” he said. “There’s also the competitive side. I’ve always been a competitive person, always liked to try and win like everybody else.”

Despite racking up 40 years on the greens, Orrett is in great shape and has no plans to slow down any time soon.

In fact, in addition to bowls, “the king” remarkably still plays tennis at the nearby Newcastle Hill Tennis Club, an organisation he joined as a 16-year-old all the way back in 1949, and credits his longevity to his active lifestyle.

“I’ve played a lot of sport in my life like tennis and I did a lot of waterskiing, which put me in good stead. I’m really lucky to be as agile as I am now,” he said.

“I still play tennis three times a week and bowls twice a week, so I’m doing alright.”