“Minnie the Moocher” and “Goodnight Sweetheart” were top of the pops and being played at all the local dances. 

Rupert Murdoch and actors James Dean and William Shatner were born. Don Bradman showed off his skills, yet again, scoring 100 runs in 3 hours and 18 minutes at Blackheath. And White Nose had won the Melbourne Cup.  

The year was 1931 and in the village of Palmwoods, bowling enthusiasts gathered together in the local Memorial Hall to form a bowling club, the first in the Maroochy district and the only one between Brisbane and Gympie at that time. 

Farming locals, the Stephenson brothers, Les and Henry Benjamin (known as Stevo) with help from other keen community members, built the first green on their farm off what is now known as Old Bowling Green Road. 

It had become a social and sporting hub of the district and now the process was to be formalised with the formation of a club to be known as the Palmwoods Bowling Club. Eighteen men became the foundation members of the club. 

Among them were Les Stephenson, Henry Stephenson, J.T. Lowe, W. Whalley, Pat Frawley (Palmwoods School teacher), Steve Hobson, Harry Pickering, Tom Rose, Alex Millar (Palmwoods station master), J. E. Robinson, and Jim Patterson. 

Early in December, a rink competition was held on the new green to celebrate the opening which was to be held officially in the new year of 1932.

At the Annual General Meeting, reported on 15 January, 1932, officers elected were - President, A. Millar, Vice-presidents, J. McIntyre, J. E. Robinson and P.M. Frawley, Secretary /Treasurer H. B. Stephenson and selectors A. Millar, and T. E. Robinson. 

Congratulations were conveyed to the Stephenson brothers for laying the green, rules were drawn up, reasonable subscriptions and green fees were set, and the club decided to apply for affiliation with the Queensland Bowls Association.

By 1940, with numbers growing and the greens unable to accommodate them, the club moved to its present site, beside the Kolora Park lagoon using part of the now defunct Buderim tramway corridor and in the Council’s designated “Sports Open Space” area. 

Members happily provided the voluntary labour to set up the greens and it took many long arduous “working bees” to prepare the site. A tent was, at first, used as a clubroom. 

The local butcher would store a keg in his cold room which was brought over with a wet bag over it to be used for functions at the club and “beer off the wood”.

Palmwoods Ladies Bowls Club

The first meeting of the Palmwoods Ladies Bowls Club was held on Friday 8th February, 1948. Seven ladies were present and Mrs. Cozens was elected President. Play for the ladies commenced 12 February 1948.

The men’s and ladies club amalgamated in 30 July 1995 and in that year the club purchased the land on which the greens were situated.

In 1957 the greenkeepers wage was 7 pounds per week. By 1963 this had climbed to 15 pounds per week.

1950 saw the first permanent building built with extensions added to the original clubhouse in 1974, 1983 and 1985 and the current clubrooms were opened on 1 May, 1999 by chairperson Mrs S. Clyde. The deck was added in 2001.

Palmwoods Bowls Club has quite a long history and without the unstinting work of volunteers, the club could have gone into extinction on many occasions.

The club’s hospitality flourishes to this day. Nestled in Sunshine Coast’s beautiful hinterland, this historic club is bordered by lush rainforest areas and a delightful lagoon where platypus spotting is a fun occupation.