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When we came to Shepparton in 2023 we missed a few local clubs So we're stopping at Tallygaroopna to catch up . They've got an event on so we're staying for that. SATURDAY The clubhouse was open. It's a tiny clubhouse. Though the flies were outrageous. They say there's a dairy farm next door! They call it ' Tally. 'The Tally train celebrates Pennant wins. Jean's been chatting on Messenger with Green keeper Mark about the big event on Sunday. Mark said we could camp here. We arrived on Saturday took a drive and checked out some nearby clubs. Tungamah Bowling Club Dookie Bowls Club Katandra West Bowling Club Tallygaroopna has a good outdoor area. The permanent shades are good with great sponsors. There's one grass green that looks well-maintained. SUNDAY Sunday is an important day for the club. It's the annual Supporters Club Raffle with over $6,000 in prize money. It cost $100 and that included all our food and drinks. Mal in his Tally shirt with ticket There are loads of locals here. Mal got the obligatory photo with President Dino. They put on a great spread. Peter looked after the barbeque. Dino welcomed everyone and started proceedings. We had ticket 305. It's not even on the board (though they promise our number is in there). Gambling commission says the winner must be drawn first so they draw out the winning three and set them aside in secret. Then they cross off all other numbers as the are drawn - to keep the suspense! They announce the winning numbers at the end. While we waited for the final draw we participated in Corner to Corner. We both got just over halfway. We were excited because with the last 30 tickets to be drawn we were still in it. After a break the first ticket Dino drew was 305. Oh well, was good while it lasted! At the end of the day Mal was happy. "They made me feel so welcome. I love this club. One of the best events I've been to." We just found out that our former favourite Victorian club Skipton closed down recently so Tally is now in the running! Tally - will it be our favourite Victorian club?

We missed Colbinabbin when we came to Bendigo in 2023 so today we've come back to check it out. It's a quiet little clubhouse With proud memories of success. The clubhouse is shared it seems with the Colbinabbin Netball Club. There's a welcome sign that says they are 'The Grasshopppers'! Outside we see that all the seats are donated. There's one grass green, somewhat under repair it seems. It's the Fin Rathjen Green. The Pennant scoreboard says they refer to themselves as 'Colbo'! We sent a message to President Wayne to ask about social bowls. He kindly rang Mal to say there's no social bowls today but they have Thursday afternoon practice. We said we'd turn up for that. Though with the green under repair we might not get a roll-up. Wayne told us we could park the caravan there overnight. That made us happy. Mal chatted with Wayne when he arrived. He's in a Singles championship game tonight and doesn't have a Marker. Mal volunteered. Jean had a nice chat with Bernie, Rosemary and Darlene all about our trip. She showed them our trip map . They told us the Bowls club uses the clubhouse in summer and the Footy and Tennis clubs take it over in Winter. We're on a Sports reserve here so they're all close. Shane and Mal had a great discussion. After the game Mal, Shane and Green keeper Ramon had a roll-up. Mal found it tough after the synthetic at Castlemaine but managed a shot. Wayne gave us some nice mugs. We'll remember Colbinabbin when we drink our cups of tea!

We came to Castlemaine on Tuesday for a look then we found out they have social bowls on Wednesday so we messaged some admins to inquire. Don't forget to pronounce it "Casslemaine"! t's a nice old clubhouse with old buildings included. There are lots of memories on the wall. Ancient Presidents. It was opened in 1966. They are The Magpies. The Maggie guards the bar. They came for a visit. We'd been chatting on Messenger with Sandra who rang us and put our names down. There's no verandah. The bowls shades give good cover. Another Sandra and Brian met us at the table. There are two synthetic greens. The left is a threadbare black and green carpet which will be replaced in March 26. The right is Tiger Turf. We played on the Tiger Turf. Brian called the cards. It's three games of three-bowl Pairs with a couple of threes. Girls had to skip so a few were out of their depth. Mal played with Sandra Brian, Elizabeth and John were their opponents. Jean was with Russell. Against Anne and Sonya. The green was super fast so we were both having trouble. Mal finally got a shot in. Jean was skip so had to run up the other end to get a photo of her shot bowls. 2nd game Mal played Anne and Sonya. Jean was against another Mal, Wendy and Brian. Jean drew one in on the backhand. Third game Jean was against Brian, Elizabeth and John. Mal played Mal, Wendy and Brian. A close head, Mal said " I haven't been able to get the weight all day! ". He managed it when nobody else did. Mal just got it. Then Jean got it with a measure. Mal came last. Jean came second-last. We came in for drinks. Brian gave us some Pennants stickers. We felt like we belonged! Castlemaine - even though they pronounce it incorrectly they made us feel very welcome.

We're on our way to Melbourne for Mal to have a procedure. We stopped in to check out Rupanyup. Fred was watering the green. He told us the club has 18 members. Just enough for a Pennant side. Tomorrow they are at Beulah. It's a cute little clubhouse . With lots of success. And a funny bowls clock. The synthetic green was put in in 2017. The outside under cover area is nice. It's a plastic synthetic green. The old grass green is sad. We didn't stay long. We said goodbye to Fred and went back to the caravan. Rupanyup is ok!

We're staying at the Penola CMCA Park and the Caretaker pointed out where the bowling club is. We drove over hoping our information about Wednesday social bowls was correct. It was! The first thing we saw was a plaque recalling a tornado in 2010. They said it was a godsend because they got a brand new clubhouse out of it. When we arrived we met Jo and Secretary Norman. Jean sat with Sue, Geraldine, Heather, Gail and Sue. It's a small clubhouse but long and narrow. With Pennant successes proudly displayed. Outside is a sturdy outdoor seating area. There's one plastic synthetic green that's been in since September 2025. It's the Brian "Baldy" Larkin Green. You can see the old fallow green. There's not much likelihood it will be replaced. We haven't played much bowls lately. We've just visited clubs and taken a photo. Today it's two-bowl Triples. There are enough players for two rinks. First game we played each other. It was Adrian, Jean and Heather. Against Peter, Steve and Mal. Jean put in a good one with her first bowl. She had shot then Mal took it. Mal was on the ball all day basically. By end eight Jean's team only had one shot on the board. Jean finally got shot by a nano-skerrick though it didn't last long - Peter was on his game! Second game Jean played Jo, Rex and Sue. Mal was against Brian, Garrick and Norman. There were two two game winners (they both beat Jean's team!). Mal won a voucher. They gave us two little parcels with a cloth and a pen. It was nice to have a game at Penola.

We arrived in Mt Gambier on Friday morning. We decided (after a bit of long-awaited shopping) to visit the two bowling clubs. RSL was the first we found. We also went to Mt Gambier Club . FRIDAY It's a nice little clubhouse. It's all set up for a Christmas party tonight. There are nice memories on display. And a beautiful old clock. There's a nice shaded area out front under a curved roof. Well, it's obvious it's an RSL! Not all bowling clubs have a Leopard Tank! By the tank is a lovely pink rose garden. The stone seats are pretty cool. Deane and Graham told us there's social bowls on Saturday - even with Pennants on. They showed us where to put our names down. There are three plastic synthetic greens. We think we'll be playing on the far green. There was Friday Ladies Pennants on against Lucindale where we visited last week . Some of the ladies remembered us . There are nice colorbond shades. SATURDAY We came back on Saturday for our social game. We met David in the office. Pennants was on while we played social. They had Mt Gambier RSL Ones, Twos and Threes; Mt Gambier Twos here as well as Plum and the guys from Beachport in The Twos. Kingston S.E. rounded them out. All the social bowlers sat together inside. They were Peter, Sharon, Apples, Scott. Ellie, Bill and Val. Scott and Jean Ellie and Peter Val, Mal and Phil Sharon, Apples and Wayne It was quite cool 14° with little gusty wind which made things tricky. With a long end it was even harder. Jean scooped one up. Mal was having trouble with the wind but popped one in. With a bowl-repelling jack. Mal succeeded. When nobody can get there and one on the deck, Jean welcomed shot. Jean drew and Mal had a win. We came in and were treated to some chippies. There were 4 points between all the teams. Jean and Scott won. A rare win for Jean at Mt Gambier RSL!

We're in Mt Gambier for a few days. We decided to drop in to Mt Gambier Bowls Club for a look. We found the bar. All decked out for Christmas. The Honour Boards are impressive. There are three greens. A Tiger Turf out front with an under cover in the middle. Ladies Friday Pennants was on. They were against Robe where we were last week. We didn't do a blog there. Out the back is another synthetic green. We had some shopping to do at Bunnings and Dan Murphy's so didn't stay long. That's it for Mt Gambier.

We met players from Beachport on Saturday at Kingston SE . We asked about social bowls and they told us to come on Thursday for practice night.. The bar is the centre of the club. President Plum stood guard. We'd met Plum the other day at Kingston . We got a photo of him And their shirt with Plum in the train driver's seat. We had to buy some. The clubhouse was opened in 1965. Plum told Jean the clubhouse used to be a railway station. They wanted to destroy the station sign but the club asked if they could keep it. They restored it. There are several dedications. There's one plastic synthetic green. Here's the old grass green. There are various kinds of shades. Kav, Sam, Mal and Peter rolled up. Mal went out in the Spring cold. He did ok. There were enough for two games of Fours. Kat, Brian , Jean and Jimmy Played Don, Prantz, Nev and Sam. Plum, Mal and Mitch Were against Dash and Veering (Veering went home). Jean got early success. They were all very friendly. Like a big family. We had to go as it was getting dark. Mal was worried about kangaroos on the road. Beachport - what friendly people!

It's been a while since we had a game. We're staying a couple of days at Millicent Showground. We saw some Millicent players the other day at Kingston S.E . and they recommended we come for Thursday afternoon social. It's a nice little clubhouse with the bar as centre. Nearby is the Bullshit Corner. There are lots of success photos. We arrived late and they'd already done the draw President Aaron told Steve " We can fit them in!" Of course Mal had to get the obligatory photo! Rossy and Andre called Jean over for a chat. Steve called the cards under the Presidents' array. There are three synthetic plastic greens. We played on the front green. There are different shade styles. With the Jean Howe Memorial Garden. And the beautiful Peter Kavanagh Garden. It's usually 2-4-2 but because we came late they made one Triples. Two greens' worth. Dale, Mal and Frank Glen, Jean and Barry Jean took the kitty for shot. Mal got shot with two Touchers until Glen stole it with a brilliant weighted shot. Mal's team had two when Jean touched the kitty again for shot. Jean held Mal out for three. He said " Two will do! " Two ends to go we had to get The Bowls Eye out. Jean got Mal by two millimetres. They were such good company. Mal won by, well a lot! Jean did a wrong bias as usual so had to ring the bell inside. Millicent - Mal gives Jean a lesson!

We came over to Lucindale on Thursday to pick up some packages for Jean. We popped in to the bowling club.. It's a pretty country clubhouse. With bowls adorning the wall. And a beautiful native garden. There's just one synthetic green. Cheryl and her hubby were doing some work. The clubhouse lost its roof a few months ago in a freak storm. Cheryl told us Lucindale Division Three is playing at Kingston on Saturday and there's a Fours Tournament at Lucindale on Sunday. KINGSTON SATURDAY We arrived Saturday morning at Lucindale Caravan Park and immediately set off to Kingston to watch Lucindale Threes play Pennants. Out front is a great painting of bowls by the sea. Apparently it's Kingston S.E. as it's in south-east South Australia and there's another Kingston on The Murray. It's a pretty, airy clubhouse. With loads of successes on the wall. There are two synthetic greens. The plastic kind. Lucindale Threes were there. They came in the bus. The Kingston shirts have Kingston's 'The Big Lobster' on the back And the lighthouse on the front. Jean couldn't find Mal. He was chatting with Denise. Also playing at Kingston were Millicent And Penola. We'll be at those clubs in a few days. We had to get back to the caravan to put Mal's soup on to slow cook so we wished them well. SUNDAY TOURNAMENT There were players at Lucindale from all around. Beachport, Naracoorte and Naracoorte RSL. Kingston, Serviceton, Frances and of course Lucindale. It's Ham and Turkey Day. Mal met Plum - the President of Beachport who wants to have a drink with him when we get there. Beachport has a great shirt with a train. We definitely have to get it. Plum's in the driver's seat. There weren't many Lucindale players because most of them were organising lunch. The ladies did a fantastic job with the tables. It's Christmas ham and Turkey for lunch. We left them to their lovely lunch. Lucindale and fun at Kingston S.E.

We're staying three days at Naracoorte. There are two clubs here, RSL and Naracoorte Bowling Club. We came to check out both clubs. Mal's been chatting with President Roger from Naracoorte BC who invited us to Friday roll-up and drinks. It's a nice little clubhouse inside. With a very long line of successes. When we arrived we met Ron and Mary on the concourse. We'd met a friend from Parilla who was mowing the grass at the Showground . He gave Jean a number for The President Roger. Mal had a great chat with Roger on Thursday and he told him all about Friday night training. Roger introduced Mal to Rick the Greenkeeper. Jean had a go. She did ok though it was pretty quick. Mal took his turn. He got a couple. The onlookers were impressed! Then he managed a three. Jean was pleased to just pip Mal. We came inside for drinks. Chris, Lynette, Mary, Pauline, Gloria, Deb and Sue turned up. They are 'The Rabble'. They'd just come back from Friday Ladies Pennants at Port MacDonnell. Mal sat for a great chat with the boys. Roger stood up to do announcements and welcomed us. He invited Jean to do the badge draw. We had a lovely time at Naracoorte. We didn't want to leave.

We left Coonalpyn this morning and drove 40 minutes to Keith. It was a bit wet so we didn't try to roll up. We met Kevin the Bar Manager. It's another tiny little SA clubhouse. There are lots of great photos of their successes. Outside is a nice shady area. With a pretty rose garden. There are two Tiger Turf greens. One is out the back. This is the front green. It was a little wet. The permanent shades are nice. Kevin was working in the clubhouse. He let us in for a look, Just a quick, wet visit to Keith.