IT’S been a crackerjack start for North Freo Bowlo with 300 members signing up and about 100 people attending the soft outdoor launch last Friday night.
After signing a 10-year lease with Fremantle Council in early December, the not-for-profit Bowlo have been busy transforming the old North Fremantle Bowling Club on Thompson Road into a multi-purpose social club.
While bowls will still be played at the club, there won’t be any official competitions, allowing the greens to be used for a variety of lawn sports like croquet, pétanque, skittles and low-impact events like movie nights and yoga classes.
The more rugged grassed areas will be used for community and private events including food trucks, markets and car boot sales.
And there’s even talk of a book club, and a community choir and curry night.
• Fremantle mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge hands over the keys for the old North Freo Bowling Club to Bowlo.
Bowlo co-chair Julia Jones says they are still waiting on a liquor license – which could take around three months – and are finishing some internal work, so currently they are only open outdoors on Friday nights.
Ms Jones says she’s been bowled over by the kindness and generosity from the local community.
“After putting the word out we’ve had several tradies come down to do volunteer work, as well as people working on our website, and someone even made us a gorgeous jarrah bartop,” she says.
“And we’ve been donated a whole heap of stuff from Claremont Bowls Club, which was closing down.
“But the place was absolutely gutted, so we’ve had to do most things from scratch. It’s been a huge job.
“Getting the bar, cool room and commercial kitchen back up to scratch will cost a few hundred thousand dollars over the next few years.”
Mr Jones says in the upcoming months they will slowly ramp up activities including community events like yoga classes and craft clubs in the morning, as well as corporate and private event bookings on Saturday nights.
• Fremantle mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge gets ready to do the ‘Flipper’ at Bowlo.
Eventually the Bowlo hope to create a local precinct including Gordon Dedman Reserve and the social farm on Thompson Road, a similar model used at Gil Fraser Oval.
Prior to handing over the keys in December, the council spent six months and $249,584 on essential works to the clubhouse including asbestos removal, roof and floorboard repairs, electrical work, refurbishment of the main hall as well as a new north facing façade, new bar, new entrance and new gutters.
The North Fremantle Bowling Club was ousted after a petition was lodged in September 2021 urging the council to move it on so a more community-friendly club could take over.
They “stripped” the club house bare before Bowlo moved in. It’s a far cry from 1957, when The North Freo Bowling Club was established with 140 members and hailed as “one of the most modern and attractive bowling club houses in the state,” according to the Daily News.
Annual membership for The Bowlo is $40 with children free, and it will be based on the successful Bowlo in West Leederville, which has around 1000 members.
“With the cost of living crisis, people are keen to go places where you don’t have to spend a lot of money,” Ms Jones says.
“Lawn Bowls is experiencing a revival in Australia because it is affordable, low-impact and accessible. The North Freo Bowlo contributes to this re-imagining of lawn bowls to reflect the changing demographics of our community.”
The Bowlo is an incorporated association governed by a volunteer board of local parents and grandparents who collaborate with community and business stakeholders.
While the internal works are being completed, The North Freo Bowlo on Thompson Road is open outdoors 4pm-8pm on Fridays with BYO drinks and picnic. There’s free use of lawn bowls and BBQ, and free icy poles for kids.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK