A man who in recent years devoted much time to the administration of the Bingara Bowls Section, the late Ken Smith, was honoured at a ceremony before the annual dinner on Saturday. A plaque recognising Mr. Smith’s hard work for the Club was unveiled by Mrs. Robyn Smith.
After many years in the cattle industry, Ken Smith sold his property and dispersed his Poll Hereford stud, Kenya. He and his wife, Robyn, moved to a small property close to town, which they called Kenya Park.
Ken and Robyn had some bowls lessons with Col Moore, but Ken was keen to help with the running of the club as well as playing. He was elected to the Bowls Committee in August 2002, when Peter Odell was president. It was also at this time that Ken first became registered with the Royal New South Wales Bowls Association.
The following year at the Annual General Meeting, Ken was elected as the Senior Vice President. He was re-elected to this position again the following year, 2004, and in 2005. Also that year, he was made joint Greens Director with Col Moore.
It was on Ken’s birthday, February 16, 2005, that the lights on the Bottom Green were first turned on again after the Green was restored after years of not being used.
Ken, along with Col Moore and others, was instrumental in obtaining grants to put an automatic watering system in for the Bottom Green after Bill Price had drawn up plans for the same. A grant to automatically water the Top Green came later, where Ken was also closely involved.
During 2006, after Ken had been elected as Bowls President, a contractor named Austin Nicholls began working on the installation of the automatic watering system for the Bottom Green. The date was summer when the drought was continuing to rage. This system saved a tremendous amount of work for Ken and his helpers and continues to do so today, as well as into the future.
Ken continued in his role as Joint Greens Director with Col, and maintained this role as well as President and a member of the Pennants Select Committee.
Ken was re-elected President in 2007 and 2008, and though he didn’t stand for the Office of President in 2009, Ken remained on the committee, and after the resignation of Col Moore from the committee in April 2009, Ken took on the role of Greens Director, a position he held until his death in August of this year.
“Though many before him have worked as diligently, and will never be forgotten by those who knew them,” Mr. Mallice said. “For those of us who are gathered here today, and who were privileged to know him, we never forget the warm and unselfish character that was Ken Smith.”
