OverSixty April 2023 Digital

OVERSIXTY.COM.AU | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2023 5 NEWS Participation by age group <40 years – 129,319 40-59 years – 129,771 60-74 years – 221,483 75+ years – 150,163 Source: Bowls Australia To find a bowling club near you, go to www.bowls.com.au . More of us will be embracing rail travel this year, largely for economic and environmental reasons Photo: Getty Images NEWS Bowling club numbers may be dwindling in Sydney, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved Australia-wide Photo: Getty Images NEWS was a desire to get out more, while increasing petrol prices, tra#c congestion and parking fees were key factors that would support greater use of rail. “With the cost of living continuing to rise, rail o$ers a great alternative to ease house- hold budget pressures and escape growing congestion on our roads,” Ms Wilkie said. Ms Wilkie added that the rail industry’s signi!cant investment in providing a great customer experience through reliability, safety and security, and convenience, are key drivers in supporting greater use of rail, while new rail projects underway will be crucial to supporting increased patronage, with 43 per cent of respondents saying more frequent services would encourage them to use rail more often. “Projects such as the Sydney Metro, Metro Tunnel Project, Suburban Rail Loop, Cross River Rail, and the METRONET programwill increase the capacity of the rail network to meet growing demand,” Ms Wilkie said. “As these projects are completed, we can expect faster, more convenient travel options for many of us, making rail an even more at- tractive option for people living in our cities.” "e research also con!rmed the sustain- able bene!ts of public transport, with two thirds (66 per cent) of respondents viewing rail as the most environmentally sustainable transport mode. “Increasing our public transport use will be key to meeting Australia’s net-zero targets and is an easy way we can make a meaning- ful di$erence within our daily lives,”MsWilk- ie added. While the changes to our lives following ZOË MEUNIER NEWS C ost of living pressures, the desire to get out more and a shift towards more sus- tainable modes of transport will see a surge of people returning to rail, with new research showing 25 per cent of people are likely to in- crease their rail usage in 2023. A survey of 2500 metropolitan residents across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane commissioned by the Austral- A return to rail the pandemic are still being felt, with 31 per cent of respondents saying they were now completing a higher proportion of their work from home and concern of COVID risks im- pacting use of rail (29 per cent), increased cleaning and hygiene measures introduced during the pandemic were endorsed by the research, with 30 per cent of respondents ad- vising this would encourage them to use rail more frequently. asian Railway Association (ARA) found that while 24 per cent of people are using rail less compared to before the pandemic, this will start to shift, as public transport users rec- ognised the a$ordability and sustainability bene!ts rail delivers and would welcome the increased frequency of services and conven- ience that will result from new rail projects underway. ARA Chief Executive O#cer Caroline Wilkie said the survey found themain reason people would be more likely to use rail more Bowling clubs shrinking in Sydney, thriving elsewhere LOUISE WATERSON NEWS F or generations, the local bowlo has been a place where communities have come to compete, celebrate, socialise and unwind. While bowling clubs and the sport are thriv- ing in non-urban regions and cities outside Sydney, across the New South Wales capital many bowling clubs have closed their doors. A recent study by the University of NSW’s School of Built Environment that analysed the closure of Sydney bowling clubs since 1980 found nearly 50 per cent had closed over this 40-year period, with no new clubs opening since 2005. In 1980, Sydney had 210 bowling clubs, a number that in 2022 had shrunk to just 128. “Having multiple clubs in some suburbs just couldn’t be sustained over time,” says Louis Heath, city planner and lead author of the study. However the clubs that have remained open are still regarded as places for locals to gather, that are close to home and provide relaxed and familiar surroundings. “Bowl- ing clubs are a place to engage with your lo- cal community and make friendships,” says Heath. “"e relaxed vibe and the a$ordable beer in an unpretentious setting still reso- nates with Australians.” Some clubs have thrived by becoming more innovative, investing in live music, en- tertainment and dining to attract a broader crowd, which has also seen the rise of ‘bare- foot bowling’. “"ey cater well to the older generation, who are the keen bowlers, but also allow younger people to come and host di$erent events,” explains Heath. “"ere might be less emphasis on the bowling, but the clubs themselves canbe a big part of people’s lives.” Nor do the dwindling numbers mean Syd- ney’s seniors aren’t playing bowls anymore, with bowling greens opening up in retire- ment villages to cater for their residents. Beyond the Sydney metro area, the situ- ation is very di$erent, with bowling clubs more popular than ever. According to Bowls Australia, club membership sits at 473,357, with 67.5 of these members located in non-metro areas. In 2021/22, the sport had 630,736 regis- tered players across the six states and two ter- ritories – an increase of 1.9% on the previous year. And internationally, Australia is among the top performing countries. Australian bowlers enjoyed success at the 2022 Com- monwealth Games in Birmingham, with the 18-member Australian Jackaroos squad win- ning three gold and three silver medals, and the Para-sport teamwinning two silver. And it’s a sport that appeals to, and caters for, all playing abilities and age groups, from the fast-paced format of Jack Attack Com- petitions, which resemble the format of the Bowls Premier League seen on FoxSports, to the Rookie Rollers program for school-aged kids, which emphasises fun and inclusion with games on a range of surfaces, including grass, carpet, concrete andwood. Bowls Aus- tralia’s Roll Back the Clock program, which launched in mid-2022, is aimed at the over 65s, with an emphasis on boosting physical activity rates through bowls, light exercise and health education. "e sports’ biggest participation event, the Australian Open, last year saw 5,500 players from all over Australia compete over two weeks in the Gold Coast. "e 2023 Australi- an Bowls Open will run from June 10-23 on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Entries are now open. For more details, go to bowls.com.au