Elmwood Park Bowling Club has just completed providing 46 sessions to 190 St Andrews College students teaching the elements of the game of bowls. St Andrews is one of our next-door neighbours, with whom we have close connections. Our greens are easily accessible by foot by their students. The programme had the full support of our club’s executive and greenkeeping staff.
Each year, EPBC meets with school staff and Bowls Canterbury to discuss the programme offered to St Andrews students. The past season’s programme involved:
- sessions for year 7 and 8 students.
- sessions forming part of senior students’ physical education classes; and
- a very full N.C.E.A. programme involving senior students, who are assessed in their final sessions by their teachers, who gave them a mark counting towards a NCEA paper.
A club member, Christopher Littlewood, managed the sessions with considerable help from several club members. Chris was the contact person for teachers and volunteers if there were changes for any reason, e.g. the weather. Bowls Canterbury’s Amie MacLennan provided excellent assistance with the initial sessions, but the need for her assistance diminished in later sessions as volunteers gained confidence in instruction techniques. It helped also that St Andrews teachers took an active part in the sessions - earlier they had taken part in an evening of bowls.
This past season our club has also hosted two commerce/accounting classes of about 20 students each from Rangi Ruru College, who were looked after by our experienced treasurer (and bowler), Les Campbell. Les told them about business and other issues behind running a bowling club. Their classes finished with a bowls session. Next season our club is looking to extend its involvement with Rangi Ruru.
We are happy to share with other clubs what we have learnt from our programmes.
Neil Johnstone
President, Elmwood Park Bowling Club
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