A fitting reward: Lorraine Nichols and Moira Smith have been awarded honorary life membership of the Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls association.
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Two darlings of the Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls scene have been given their flowers following a decade of unwavering service.
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The group’s freshly-retired president Moira Smith and secretary Lorraine Nichols were recently awarded honorary life membership to acknowledge their involvement in starting the group and ensuring it stayed alive and kicking since.
Rest assured, there are no better recipients of the title.
Smith was the chief instigator in getting the ball — or bowl — rolling on women aged 60-plus returning to the greens for friendly competition.
More than 10 years ago she wrote to Shepparton Park Bowls Club spruiking the idea and the Kialla-based club warmed to it immediately.
After securing approval, the idea soon snowballed into what became the Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls group.
When asked who would fill the secretary position, Nichols’ arm shot up like a rocket.
On October 1, 2014, everything culminated in a fantastic inaugural day out at Kyabram Bowls Club.
The first day of play had more than 50 women from seven clubs throughout the region arrive for a day of bowls, banter and beaming grins.
Start of something big: Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls group secretary Lorraine Nicholls, president Moira Smith and treasurer Marie Kleinitz on the inaugural launch day in 2014.
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Ray Sizer
That tradition remains a decade later and the numbers are up.
About 14-16 teams scattered about the region take turns hosting a day of bowls, with the bulk of Goulburn Murray clubs now involved in some capacity.
Smith and Nichols have recently surrendered their integral duties within the Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls group, but their work for the past decade will not be soon forgotten.
Incoming president Val Le Lievre doted on their efforts as they take leave from their posts.
“Both of them have done a brilliant job and everybody has been totally satisfied with what they've done,” she said.
“They’re just all-round good people that have thoroughly enjoyed what they’ve done for 10 years.”
Le Lievre paid special mention to Smith, whose sprightly antics were often the cause of many bouts of laughter.
“Moira, for a now 91-year-old, has just been a brilliant president — she’s a person who’s very relaxed, extremely capable and very fair,” Le Lievre said.
“If there was an idea to change something within the group, she would always consult people; she wasn’t a person that went and did it on her own.
“The humourous side of Moira is she loves her jokes. Every week she comes with one or two jokes and she delivers those jokes — she’s got a very quiet voice, so we all have to listen very hard.
“She’s quite the character at it, so much so that she says, ‘I’d still like to deliver my jokes even though I’ve retired as president’.”
As Smith and Nichols walk out the door, Le Lievre (East Shepparton) and Rhonda Woodcock (Kyabram) have taken the reins as the president and secretary of the Goulburn Valley Ladies 60-and-over bowls group with Margaret Tweddle in tow as treasurer.
It’s an excellent time to transition as the 60-and-overs enter their off-season.
Play typically starts in October and runs right through until April with a break over the festive period and Le Lievre wants to see more people like Smith and Nichols join the group.
Not for the administrative side per se, but to have more bodies on the greens for what’s promised to be a fun-filled social day for women without the pressures of pennant bowls.
