By JARROD POTTER
MATHEMATICS, English, Science… Lawn Bowls?
Keysborough Bowls Club member Ray Johnstone has been on a mission to help teach students in the City of Greater Dandenong the fundamentals of his beloved sport – lawn bowls.
Mr Johnstone manages the Keysborough School and Community Bowls Program and has completed countless school visits throughout the area over the last three years.
“Been running it for three years and it’s been slowly building up,” Johnstone said.
“Built it up in grants and donations – so the club doesn’t have to pay anything.
“I’ve made it a special thing so that we run the whole things with grants and donations… it has taken me plenty of time bit by bit to build up to where I am.”
Johnstone said a lifelong love of teaching has translated to the program and he looks ahead to every school visit where he can teach another student how to play.
“I’ve always loved teaching kids,” Johnstone said.
“I ran a footy clinic, basketball coach, all sorts of things then I’ve run after school programs with the kids and the kids loved it so much that I thought we could cast this net a bit wider.
“So I chased around and managed to get some money together to get a couple of mats.”
Donations, grants and sponsorships from City of Greater Dandenong and other supporting partners have helped Johnstone take the show on the road – driving his trailer to schools around the area that can’t afford a trip to the bowls club but still want their students to learn the sport.
“Some of the schools we bring to the club and onto the bowling greens, but a lot can’t afford the buses and transport, so I’ve got a trailer and five indoor mats that we have loaded into the trailer and we can go around to the schools and teach them the basics,” Johnstone said.
“It’s something the kids don’t get an opportunity to do often at all – most people think bowls is an old people’s game, but at the bowls club our oldest playing pennant is 94 and the youngest is 15.”
Johnstone is keen to expand the program to more schools, church groups and other sporting codes.
“Not only to the schools but we want to expand out to the various church groups in the area,” Johnstone said.
“Keysborough is a very multicultural area and we have a lot of church groups in the area… I’d like to get them interested in joining in.
“We can roll up and teach them in their own environment… it helps bring everyone together.”For more information on the program, contact Ray Johnstone at keysboroughbowls@westnet.com.au.
