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BALERNO BOWLING CLUB

READY FOR THE OFF!

Looking over the bowling green covered in snow last week it was hard to imagine that by the time you read this the outdoor bowling season will be about to start. Fortunately, the snow has cleared and Tom Murray and Frank Millan are working hard to get the green ready for Opening Day (17 April). We can’t wait to get back on it! Good luck to our newly elected Men’s Skips – Maxie Baigrie, Kenny Girdler, Mike Haldane and Stevie Watson – who are selecting the First 16.Good luck too to our Ladies Section who will be led by their newly elected President Margaret Turner. I look forward to welcoming Margaret on to the Committee along with Ladies Secretary Morag Moffat. They will both bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to our deliberations.
Sadly, the onset of the bowling season means a temporary end to our Wednesday afternoon Bingo sessions that provide such an essential community service to our users. Certainly my 92 year old Mother – in – Law will miss the company. (How does she remember all those combinations of winning lines?) Let me pay tribute therefore to Martha Donaldson and Cathie Gordon who have run these sessions for many years. We hope to welcome everyone back in October.
But all our other social activities - our Wednesday Dance Classes, our Folk Nights and our Cabaret Nights - continue at times during the season. One constant is our Thursday.Night Bingo and I’d like to thank the ‘Golden Girls and Boys’ who (despite my insults) attend every week whatever the weather. In all truth, these are not nights for the serious bingo player but rather an opportunity for fun, companionship, banter, occasional community singing and a wee ‘refreshment’. Calling the numbers is one of the highlights of my week despite the verbal (and sometimes physical!) abuse I get from ‘you know who’!. My thanks go to my dedicated and able assistants Sandra Duguid and Tom McDonald.
But if ever evidence was needed of the Club’s value to the community it can be seen inside the Clubhouse door in the shape of two giant replica cheques totalling £2500. That was the sum raised last year by our 24 hour ‘Bowlathon’ a fantastic effort in the current economic climate. I must pay tribute to Ross Young and Grant Wilson who organized the event and like me they want to thank everyone who helped, took part and contributed. The sum raised has been split equally between The Special Care Baby Unit at St John's Hospital, Livingston and the South East Scotland Kidney Patient's Association. What better way to end an article?
Roll on the bowling!

CHARLIE HUSBAND OBE
Club President