Three generations of one family — the Tinnings — in the modern era has given the Tongala Bowls Club well over 200 years of service.
Last Saturday four of them from three generations — Geoff, his son Barry and Barry’s two sons Jarryd and Brad — formed a rink which represented the club in the Campaspe Playing Area division one pennant round clash against Mathoura at Tongala.
Brad skippered the rink which lost by three shots but Tongala prevailed overall.
At 86, Geoff is the youngest of three brothers — Keith (Chooka), 90, and Ivan, 94, are his siblings — who have been around the club since the mid 1960s.
Geoff and Keith defy Father Time to keep playing the game they love so much at pennant level and have given it and the Tongala Bowls Club a combined 112 years of service.
“Dad used to play when the club was behind the Tongala Hotel next to Godda the tobacconist.
‘‘Godda had some billiard tables and we used to have a game and then stroll next door to watch Dad playing bowls, so it went from there,’’ Geoff said, reflecting.
Geoff is the most decorated of the current Tinning clan still playing the game at pennant level.
He partnered the late Geoff Cameron to win two State Pairs titles and two Country Victorian titles.
His resume also includes a host of other titles at club, regional and international level.
Geoff’s son Barry has followed in his footsteps, and Jarryd and Brad have also been bitten by the bowls bug, also playing in the club’s pennant teams.
Another of Barry’s sons Mitchell works for Bowls Australia and is based in Brisbane but still enjoys rolling one down when he finds the time.
Keith’s son Steve is also a club member and plays pennant.
Yes, that suggestion to rename it the Tinngala Bowls Club does have a lot of merit, but the Tinning clan would be too modest to have a bar of it.
9°C