There was plenty of laughter, warm smiles and heartfelt applause at the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club as bowlers gathered to celebrate Doug McTier’s 97th birthday.
Much-loved club bowler, Doug McTier was treated to a surprise birthday celebration ahead of his 97th birthday on Sunday, July 25, with family, friends and fellow bowlers coming together over birthday cake to honour a man admired as much for his kindness and friendship as his remarkable longevity on the bowling green.
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For those who know Doug, it wasn't just a birthday they were celebrating.
It was a lifetime of friendship, sportsmanship and quiet generosity that has made him one of the club's most respected and treasured members.
Doug, however, took all the attention in his usual humble stride.
"Not much different from any ordinary day, as a matter of fact," he said.
Born in Yarraville, Doug grew up in Port Melbourne, where his parents owned the Graham Newsagency in Bay Street.
As an only child, he began delivering newspapers at just eight years of age and has fond memories of selling papers aboard Australian and American Navy ships during World War II.
Doug began his career in engineering before moving into sales and then he and his late wife bought a chicken farm where they raised meat birds for 40 years.
After retiring, the family moved to Yarrawonga in 2009.
"My idea was to go to Ulverstone in Tasmania, but the girls talked me into coming here," Doug said.
"Even the dog voted against me, so I was outnumbered five to one."
Doug has never looked back and says he loves living in Yarrawonga.
He has been playing bowls for 52 years after deciding it was the perfect sport to replace football.
"I couldn't play football anymore, so I decided bowls was the next best challenge," Doug said.
Doug McTier’s smile and wonderful sportsmanship have earned him enormous respect on and off the bowling green.
During his years with Cranbourne Bowls Club in South Gippsland, he and his wife won the prestigious Mixed Pairs Club Championship, among many achievements throughout his long bowling career.
For Doug, however, the friendships are what matter most.
"It’s the community, the friends you make and the fact that no matter who you meet, you shake hands and become mates," Doug said.
"It’s the community, the friends you make and the fact that no matter who you meet, you shake hands and become mates.“
Fellow bowlers Neil, Liliana, Jill, Chris, Vin and Greg describe Doug as one of the club's true gentlemen.
"He's just a good bloke," they said.
"He's a good bowler, helps everybody else and is never critical; he's always positive."
They laughed that Doug still loves to win, but always displays wonderful sportsmanship.
"He makes me get out of bed on a cold day," one bowler said.
"Even in 36-degree heat, Doug is still out there walking up and down the green."
“Doug’s a gentleman of the game," Neil said.
He is the proud father of four daughters, Andrea, Karen, Julie and Nicole, grandfather to nine grandchildren and great-grandfather to 13 great-grandchildren.
Although surprised by the club’s celebration, Doug planned to mark his birthday with a quiet family dinner.
His advice to anyone thinking about taking up bowls is simple.
"Just do it," he said.
“The younger the better, and when you join a club stay with it."
He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll keep playing, but says the next couple of years look alright, at the very least.
At 97, Doug McTier continues to prove that some of life's greatest achievements aren't measured in trophies alone, but in the friendships made, the respect earned and the quiet example set for everyone around him.
