One of the first photographs taken at Stronvaar. Rough grass, no mats, amazing attire and a stylish delivery!
Here is a wee taster of the Club's history that will appear in the Centenary programme.
The date of opening the new green was set for Wednesday 13th June 1906 and it was agreed to invite George Younger M.P. member for the Ayr Burghs to perform the opening ceremony. The club also affiliated itself to the Scottish Bowling Association.
Mr Younger requested that the opening day be changed from that suggested to Friday 8th June at 4.30pm so that he could attend. In addition to the M.P., only members and shareholders and a partner were invited to attend. During discussions for the arrangements for the great day was the first mention of a ladies committee to arrange and serve the teas; the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The 8th June duly arrived and the “Campbeltown Courier” was fulsome in its praise of the new venue and reported that the laburnums and rhododendrons in Stronvaar Avenue were in full bloom and labelled the setting, not for the last time, as one of Nature’s beauty spots. In what were described as “balmy conditions”, Provost Mitchell introduced George Younger who expressed his delight at being away from Westminster to be present at such an auspicious event. He explained to the audience that he was already an honorary official of the Argyll Bowling Club, having been involved in the opening of their green and he offered to donate a trophy to the clubs for “friendly” competition.
To great applause he declared the green open and called on Mrs Mitchell to throw the first jack, again, no doubt, to much hilarity and applause. Never mind ladies, at least the first head on Stronvaar was created by a woman! Numerous votes of thanks were said not least to contractors Robert Weir & Sons, Robert Armour& Sons, Galbraith and Cochrane and Daniel Leslie who, in return, presented Mr Younger a souvenir statuette of a woman holding a silver jack. With the jack (maybe) now on the green Mr Younger played the first two bowls, no mention of touchers, on the newly commissioned sward.
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