4-3-2-1, a Wednesday evening staple at the club, kicked off its schedule on a decidedly chilly May 8. This is a drop-in event that runs Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. If you're available, stop by.

Players at all skill levels are welcome. Just turn up and have fun.

The hardy souls who braved the first chilly evening—Dickson, Ismail, Marilyn, Lily and Bernie—were greeted with a special 4-3-2-1 cake.

4-3-2-1 continues every Wednesday through the season.

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.

Our Warm-Up Barbecue and Sock Drive on February 4 was an unmitigated success!

The event began with a regular short-mat jitney at which members were encouraged to bring friends as an introduction to lawn bowling. A number of members brought friends along, who could not only bowl indoors on a short mat, but because the weather was fantastic, could also bowl outdoors.

At about 3:00 p.m., the short mats were rolled up and the clubhouse configured to accommodate the people we were expecting for our barbecue and socks drive, which was co-sponsored by Councillor Lily Cheng.

Close to 100 people attended, including a number of families with children.

Our neighbours from the Willowdale community got to see our facilities and meet many club members.

Councillor Cheng and our president, Suzan Tari, gave short welcoming speeches about the event and our club. Councillor Cheng stayed for the entire event and chatted with members and neighbours alike.

We also received significant donations of socks for the unhoused, refugees and others. We don’t often think about it, but socks are important to those who have less than the majority of us.

In exchange for donations, members and neighbours alike were treated to hamburgers and hot dogs. The cooking crew went nonstop from 3:00 to 5:30. The event was so successful that we ran out of food at the end.

Thanks to everyone for contributing to a successful event: the organizers; members who bowled, brought friends and coached; everyone who helped rearrange the clubhouse; our cooks and kitchen staff who fed everyone; and those who stayed around to clean up the kitchen, clubhouse and grounds after a successful event.

During the winter months, a number of members of the board of directors have been working diligently to pursue incorporation for Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club.

As a result of that process, the board of directors is calling a special meeting of members on Sunday, February 11, 2024, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Member resolutions need to be passed in order to meet the legal requirements of incorporating a not-for-profit association like ours. If those resolutions are passed and the paper work is filed before March 1, 2024, Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club will be eligible to apply for large Trillium Foundation grants as early as next year.

We need those grants to make the capital investments that will keep our club vibrant and thriving. One of our first applications, for example, is intended to be nearly $200,000 to resurface the artificial green.

Please join us in person, or let us know if you’d like to attend via telephone or other electronic means.

It’s critical that we have a quorum at the start of the meeting to get the resolutions passed to meet all necessary legal requirements.

Proxies are possible
If you’re unable to attend the February 11 meeting, please take the time to assign your proxy to another member.

If you’re accepting a proxy, please be aware that each voting member is only allowed to bring one proxy to the meeting.

Please attend in person, via electronic means, or click on this link to assign your proxy to another member.

See you (or your proxy) on February 11!

The Bill Donald Memorial Tournament on September 23 was a well attended tribute to Bill’s contributions to our club and the Ontario lawn bowling community.

It was truly a celebration of Bill’s life. There was some excellent competition among twelve teams of mixed triples that drew players from Woodstock, Pickering, Brampton, Cosburn, Midland, Agincourt and, of course, Willowdale. Top prize went to Willowdale bowler Albert Wu, playing with Stanley and Helena Ho of Agincourt.

A delicious lunch was organized by life member Emma Varga, supported by volunteers of the club’s excellent kitchen crew. There was more than enough food to go around and desserts, of course, were plentiful. Canterbury Place donated cake and cookies.

The gathering resembled a reunion of past Willowdale presidents. Lorne Reid, Willowdale LBC president in 1982, was joined by Roger Thompson (1999), Emma Varga (2000), Anne Baille (2004), Elmer Mittelstaedt (2005), Sharon Jeffrey (2006 & 2008), Susan Leong (2013-14) and Gordon Jones (2011-2013, 2018-2023).

Five members of the Donald family attended the day’s celebration, as well as long-time members Alice Mittelstaedt, Brook Reid, Andy and Carol Watson, George Meek, Kerry Peters, Carole Barker and Doreen Semple.

A wonderful time was had by all!

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.

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.

The Ontario Lawn Bowls Association (OLBA) has formed an action committee to address a 30 per cent decrease in greens maintenance funding for lawn bowling clubs in Toronto between 2021 and 2022.

“We are quite concerned about the decrease in funding that occurred last year,” says James Rimmer, chair of OLBA’s marketing and sponsorship committee, who will also chair the action committee. “Our goal is to ensure the long-term viability of lawn bowling as a recreational activity in the City of Toronto.”

The committee held its inaugural meeting via videoconference on May 15, 2023. The first meeting was attended by representatives from Agincourt, Lawrence Park, Moore Park, West Toronto and Willowdale.

“We had good turnout to the first meeting,” says Rimmer. “But our expectation is that every lawn bowling club in Toronto will be represented as we get going. Regardless of whether a club is enjoying a good relationship with the city now, it’s In everyone’s best interest to work together.”

During the first meeting, clubs discussed the support they receive from the city and the challenges they currently face with greens, clubhouses and other infrastructure. Committee members also discussed the implications of Toronto’s Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan 2019-2038, released in 2017. While the plan says “there is no demonstrated need for additional lawn bowling greens during the timeframe of this plan,” it’s important to note that the report does not suggest withdrawing support from the lawn bowling community.

Committee members also discussed the importance of recreational activities for everyone and the value that social interaction provides to the community.

“Numerous research studies have shown that social interaction as we age improves quality of life on a number of levels,” says Dennis Bedeau, president of Agincourt Lawn Bowling Club. “But limiting lawn bowling limits that interaction. Without infrastructure, we have no lawn bowling. And we cannot maintain that infrastructure without the city’s commitment and direct support.”

The committee plans to meet every two to three weeks over the summer months.

If you would like your club to participate, please complete the contact form that will go directly to chair James Rimmer.

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Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club (LBC) has consolidated its tournament schedule for 2023. And because of a strong sponsorship program this year, guaranteed prize money for winning teams has been increased.

“We have had fantastic sponsorship this year,” says Jack Siboni, tournament director for Willowdale LBC. “This has enabled us to offer five times the entry fee to winning teams.”

The number of tournaments has been reduced from eleven to six:

• Leeswood Construction Open Triples on Saturday, May 20.
• DelManor North York Mixed Triples on Monday, June 5.
• 4 Zee Australian Women’s Pairs, sponsored by Gordon Jones, on Wednesday, June 14.
• RBC Dominion Securities Gold Cup Men’s Triples on Sunday, August 13.

The Dignity Memorial Open Pairs tournament on Saturday, July 8 offers a guaranteed $200 first prize to the winning pairs team.

The only tournament for which a minimum prize hasn’t yet been set is the ever-popular Bill Donald Memorial Novice Pairs on Saturday, September 23.

The entry fee for all tournaments, except one, is $20. The entry fee for the Bill Donald Memorial is $25 because lunch is provided. Please bring your lunch for all other tournaments.

To register for any of the tournaments, click here to use the special registration page or contact Jack Siboni at (416) 493-1898 or by e-mail at jsiboni (at) rogers (dot) com.