Thanks to Bernie Weitzman and Vince Donohoe for their hard work in generating sponsors for 2024.

"We've had a great response to our request for sponsors," Bernie says. "We believe that sponsorship is an important component of the club's financial future."

This year's lineup of sponsors includes some returning names and a number of new ones. Additionally, some sponsors have chosen to support more than one event.

"One of the benefits of sponsorship is the potential for a four-foot by eight-foot banner on our fence facing Beecroft Road," Bernie says. "Our research has shown that up to two-point-five million cars go by the club each season, which represents an excellent opportunity for sponsors."

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Dues remain the same

Registration is open for the 2024 season. And the better news is that the dues remain the same.

At their February meeting, the board of directors voted to keep club dues at $180 for the 2024 season. And, to facilitate payment, invoices will be sent to past members over the next week or two.

You can download the club’s registration form and the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association (OLBA) waiver.

There is no charge for lockers. However, if you have a locker, please send us an e-mail to let us know your locker number. 

During Sunday’s barbecue and sock drive, the short-mats were rolled up and put away to make space for visitor tables and chairs.

The mats will be rolled back into place after the special general meeting on Sunday, February 11.

As a result, there will be no short-mat bowling until the next jitney meet-up on Sunday, February 18 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm.

If you’re around, Don Rayko is promising something special at the clubhouse for Sunday, March 24 (the Sunday before Easter).

He says that it may involve some tasty treats, so stay tuned for more news to come.

The club’s board of directors has scheduled a special general meeting at the clubhouse for Sunday, February 11, at 1:30 p.m.

The meeting is being called to formalize our incorporation process. Being incorporated provides the club with a level of risk prevention. But the main reason for incorporating is to access larger capital grants that are only available to community organizations that are incorporated.

Notices for the special general meeting have gone out to members with a package of materials that will (ideally) be read by all members before the start of the meeting. If you haven’t received a package (or can’t find it), please consult the list below. You can click on each document to access it prior to the meeting.

• A cover letter from Suzan Tari, President of the club, giving a brief explanation of reasons for incorporating
• Notice of the special meeting, which includes the text of a Resolution that you will be asked to consider and vote on at the meeting
• Schedule A: Form 4001 - Articles of Incorporation,
• Schedule B: Form 4002 - Initial Registered Office Address and First Board of Directors, and
• Schedule C: By-law No. 1;
• A Proxy Form for members who won't be at the meeting; and
• A list of the club's assets (for information purposes only).

To ensure that we have quorum for the meeting, we are asking members who cannot attend to complete a proxy form to assign their vote to another eligible member.

As a reminder, each member can only bring one proxy to the meeting, which is why you are asked to make up to three choices for your proxy on the form.

Is it too ambitious to wish for reasonable weather in early February?

We’re hoping it isn’t because we’re co-hosting a winter warm-up barbecue and sock drive with Willowdale councillor Lily Cheng.

Join us at the clubhouse from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 4. Bring new, unwrapped socks to help us fill our Sox Box and we’ll trade your generosity for a hamburger or hot dog (vegan options will be available).

Councillor Cheng is inviting the broader community to join us. We’re hoping to have the opportunity to talk to people about bowling and the facility. We’d love to have you help us make a positive impact on the community.

We’re going to have some short mat demonstrations and we’re asking club members and community neighbours to donate new, unwrapped socks for the unhoused and other individuals who are particularly vulnerable during the winter months.

If you have the time, please make time to join us at the clubhouse on Sunday, February 4. Help us fill our Sox Box!

Elizabeth Cormack and Chrystal Shephard (ON) have defended their title, winning the women’s pairs for the second consecutive year. After going 7-2 in the round robin, the duo faced Saskatchewan’s Jean Roney and Karen Schlotter in the finals. In a well-fought match, the Ontarians claimed the gold 19-13.

In the bronze medal match, the recently crowned Women’s Singles champion, Claire Day and partner Jennifer MacDonald faced a tough British Columbia duo of Josephine Lee and Sarina Mak. The local BC natives proved too much for the Albertans, claiming bronze with a final score of 21-15.

Willowdale members Don Rayko and Jack Siboni (centre in the picture above) represented District 16 at the Ontario 55+ Summer Games held in Brantford from August 9 to 11. Don and Jack came away with silver medals in a marathon event.

After winning all four games in the round robin (three games on Thursday and one Friday morning), they played the semi-final game and ended up in the final Friday afternoon, losing to District 15 representatives Lan Tran and Cathy Larkin.

"With six games in two days, we just ran out of gas," admits Don, who also admitted that he hadn't played three games in a day (let alone six over two days) in quite some time.

Julie and Eric Bergman also represented District 16. They went 1-2 in round robin play, losing to the teams that won bronze and gold.

The games were well-organized and a lot of fun. The next games are in 2025. If you're even remotely interested, give it some thought. The event was well worth attending.

Despite the gruelling schedule, Don managed to get a picture with Pachi, head cheerleader of the games. Lawn bowling was played in picturesque St. George, Ontario, about 10 minutes north of Brantford.

A few dozen brave souls ignored grey skies and an iffy weather forecast to make their way to the club for the pot luck jitney on Monday, August 7.

They were no doubt glad they did. The food was fantastic and there was plenty of it.

Between games, president Gordon Jones thanked everyone for their participation and praised the food, saying that "it was the best spread we've had at the club in quite some time."

(So good, in fact, that we're going to do it again for Labour Day, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.)

Gordon also recognized Chrystal Shephard, who is representing Ontario at the national lawn bowling championships in Victoria, BC, which are being held at the Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowls Club August 18-26.

Gordon presented Chrystal with a small token of appreciation on behalf of the board of directors and members to help her offset a few expenses.

It costs each competitor representing Ontario approximately $2,500 to compete in Victoria. The Ontario Lawn Bowls Association provides winners with $500 per competitor.

"Hopefully, this small token will help with the expenses you incur as you represent our club and our province," Gordon said.

A motion was passed at the special general meeting at the clubhouse on August 1 that will help propel Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club to its next stage of development.

With input from a number of members, but most particularly Don Rayko and Jane Brackley, the following motion was voted upon:

The membership of the Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club expresses its openness to negotiating the following with the City of Toronto:

• Conversion of the centre green from natural grass to an artificial lawn bowling surface;
• Rejuvenation of the existing lawn bowling artificial surface on the south green;
• Conversion of the north green to alternative recreational uses, such as pickleball; and
• Use of the clubhouse as a warming centre during winter months by the City of Toronto.

And they empower the board of directors of the Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club to pursue these options further and report back to the membership.

The motion was carried and the board of directors is already working on developing the next stage of the club.

The first flight of the 4 Elms Monday night league wrapped up on July 31 and first place came down to the final game.

If Joan and William (with Sum Tang substituting for Joan on this night) pulled off a win, they would take first place on the basis of the head-to-head game with David and Lorine, who finished with the same number of points and a bigger plus/minus.

Sum and William prevailed and so first place was awarded to Joan and William.

It was a great league. A lot of fun. Thanks, everyone, for participating.

The final results are in. Vince took top spot. No surprise there.

Julie managed to take second. In the case of tie breakers, we look at head-to-head first, then plus-minus. William and Julie ended up with the same number of points. They didn’t play, so there was no head-to-head. But Julie’s plus-minus was four points better.

This was a lot of fun. There’s no game like singles. There is literally nowhere to hide.

Everyone’s bowling improved as the season wore on.

Members of the board of directors of Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club met a second time with Councillor Lily Cheng on July 6 to talk about the condition of the club and its future as an important component of recreational infrastructure.

During a spirited discussion, the point was made that, like any recreational infrastructure in Toronto today, Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club faces two challenges.

The first is what’s being called an “infrastructure deficit.” Much of the City of Toronto's aging infrastructure (not just recreational infrastructure) is showing its age, to the point that some estimates suggest that approximately $10 billion is needed to bring the city’s aging infrastructure up to a state of good repair.

That creates significant competition for a finite pool of capital.

The second is that any investment in recreational infrastructure will go first to multi-use facilities—i.e. those facilities that can support multiple uses for different forms of recreation—before being allocated to single-use facilities.

One of the ideas floated during the meeting is turning the north green into pickleball courts. We would still maintain lawn bowling on the centre green and the artificial surface, but we would become a multi-use facility.

“We have to be flexible in our thinking,” says Suzan Tari, vice-president of Willowdale LBC. “The pickleball option could provide us with long-term stability. With that, we can focus on growing the sport of lawn bowling in Willowdale and potentially across Toronto.”

Hurdles to overcome

Even if an option like pickleball is available, there are many hurdles to overcome before the long-term future of the club is secured.

One of the most important is the lease under which the property currently operates. There are sixty years left in the ninety-nine-year lease between the City of Toronto and Mount Pleasant Group, which owns the land. The lease states that the only use for the property at 150 Beecroft Road is as a non-profit lawn bowling club and that such usage will be “continuous and uninterrupted except for maintenance, repairs and climactic conditions” until July 25, 2083.

The lease is currently being examined by the City of Toronto’s legal department with the potential intent of opening up negotiations to increase the uses for the property. This process started earlier this year when it was suggested that the clubhouse could serve as a warming centre during winter months.

“When the councillor’s office approached us with the idea of using the clubhouse as a warming centre, we were happy to support the community, but we immediately pointed out that such use is not allowed under the current lease,” says Eric Bergman, property manager of Willowdale LBC.

When Councillor Cheng visited the club for the first time on May 13 of this year, the board of directors asked to be included in any future lease negotiations. At the most recent meeting, she assured the board that she did contact the city’s legal department to have the club included, but since the lease agreement is between the city and Mount Pleasant Group—even with Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club specifically named in the lease as the sole sub-lessee for ninety-nine years—Councillor Cheng was informed that only city and cemetery representatives will be present at negotiations.

“We’re grateful to Councillor Cheng for trying on our behalf,” Bergman says. “Our concern is that unpalatable options will be presented to us if we are not at least consulted during negotiations. Our message is simple. We will be carefully monitoring any developments through the lens of what’s in the best interests of our members and the sport they enjoy. If necessary, we will help all parties understand the places in which we feel those interests are not being met.”

Artificial vs natural surface

Another issue discussed on July 6 is what to do with the centre green over the long term.

The centre green is a natural grass surface that requires almost constant care and attention.

Converting the centre green to an artificial surface would reduce the maintenance required. This would decrease the club’s reliance on volunteer resources, city assistance, and/or the revenue needed (between fifteen and twenty-five thousand dollars per year) to outsource turf management.

“Moving to an all-artificial club is a big decision,” Bergman says. “However, with a natural green, there are two potential long-term solutions. Either the city commits to taking care of the green for the next sixty years or the club spends between fifteen and twenty-five thousand dollars per year to hire someone to take care of the green.

“Asking volunteers to do the job is not a sustainable solution.”

Information session Tuesday, July 25

The board of directors is conducting an information session at the clubhouse at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25. Please join us to be brought up to date.

Special General Meeting on Tuesday, August 1

The board of directors is calling a special general meeting on Tuesday, August 1. Please join us. We need to achieve quorum so we vote on the long-term direction and health of the club.

If you’re looking for a stylish t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt or hat to wear on the greens, or a tote bag to get you to the club and back, look no further.

Willowdale member Marilyn Birman has designed new apparel for 2023 that is now available for purchase.

Short sleeve unisex t-shirts in white or black are available in sizes small to 3X at $15 each. Long-sleeve shirts are available in black or white and, like their short-sleeve counterparts, are available in sizes small to 3X. Cost is $20.90 each.

Caps are available in white at $9.00 each. One size fits all.

The tote bags are white with black trim and available for $16.50.

Payment can be made by cheque or Interac e-transfer.

Interested? You can contact Marilyn Birman by e-mail (marilynbirman@talkingts.net) or at 1-888-811-4001 extension 2.

On April 15 and 16, volunteers showed up to help us get the club ready for another year of bowling.

We swept floors, washed windows, worked on the centre green, performed moss control on the artificial surface and generally got the clubhouse and grounds ready for 2023.

And our efforts were supplemented with assistance from a group of student volunteers who were participating in our program to tap into the need for high school students to acquire 40 hours of volunteer service to graduate.

Thanks to everyone who helped out and participated. And thanks to Betty Tai for pictures to commemorate the event.

Everyone who has known Bill Donald understands that our lives have been touched by a man of great generosity and dedication to Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club.

Bill’s efforts and care were not only recognized by the club when he was made a life member, but also by the province when he received the Volunteer of the Year award a few years ago.

Without Bill, the club would have struggled to function. He was the greenskeeper for many years, and he took great pride in delivering the best greens in Toronto, including greens for two national championships.

He was so well respected that city staff gave their all to ensure we had what he required for the club. Bill was regularly the drawmaster for tournaments. He was an umpire, and even a regular sponsor of tournaments. No one has ever given more to Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club than Bill Donald.

Bill was a friend to everyone. He was knowledgeable, humble and a great advisor.

Goodbye Bill, you will not be forgotten.

Gordon Jones
President
Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club

In early January, Bill Donald passed away peacefully in hospital after a short illness. He will be sorely missed by the lawn bowling community in general and by Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club specifically.

The third and youngest son of the late William and Jean Donald, Bill grew up in Toronto. The family lived in a house on Manor Road and everyone helped in the family business, a Scottish Bakery.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario, Bill taught with the North York Board of Education from 1951 to 1970. He was a secondary school geography teacher who enjoyed working with young people.

Bill took an extended sabbatical and travelled to many places around the world. He returned with stories of adventures in Australia, Africa, the Philippines, Europe, the British Isles and New Zealand.

He resumed teaching in 1974 and retired in 1987.

Bill made friends wherever he went. He enjoyed golf, curling, cribbage, snooker and, of course, lawn bowling. He was a lifelong member of Willowdale Bowling Club.

Bill always kept himself busy and his fingerprint is virtually everywhere at WLBC. His easy laughter, sharp wit, generosity, and easy conversation will be missed.

Memorial donations can be made to North York General Hospital Foundation.