Humble Bowlo Serving its Community Despite Challenges

The small community, around 100 kilometres west of Gosford, is home to just 233 people according to the 2021 Census. And in the small village lies the beating heart of the community, the Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club.

“It’s a happy little Club and we’re very lucky because we’ve always been very well supported by the community,” says Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club Secretary Manager Margaret Pratt.

It’s a labour of love for Margaret, who also proudly wears several other hats, including chief cook and bottle washer. 

Her hard work and dedication draws patrons from further afield than Wisemans Ferry, with the Club’s membership sitting at just over 600.

But like other businesses and homes in low-lying areas of the Hawkesbury, in recent years the Club has been hit hard by devastating flooding.

The first of the recent flooding events occurred in March 2021, when the bowling green went under, and water ran underneath the clubhouse.

Despite their own challenges, Margaret and other Club volunteers ensured the community was being looked after.

“It was pretty scary stuff, we became an evacuation centre and people were coming into the Club at around 3am,” says Margaret.

“We were wrapping them in towels, giving them a hot drink and getting them sorted before they went off to a larger evacuation centre.

“Because the flooding was ongoing, we became a centre where people dropped off groceries, and we made sure the SES and fire brigade took them to people in need along the river.”

Unfortunately, the Club wasn’t as lucky when heavy rain returned in March 2022, with floodwater coming inside the venue and leaving a trail of destruction.

While Margaret and a small army of volunteers were busy moving damaged furniture and ripping up sodden carpet, it didn’t stop then from helping others worse off.

“We tried to save as much as we could, and then we relocated to higher ground and helped to send out food parcels and essential items to others along the river,” she says.

With many homes and businesses along the Hawkesbury, including the Club, unable to be insured due to being flood-prone, any wet weather event can have devastating consequences.

No sooner had the Club managed to rebuild, thanks to the generosity of a local who wished to remain anonymous, flooding struck again just three months later.

“We’d only just put down new carpet, installed new toilets and a lot of other stuff, when floods came in July 2022,” says Margaret.

“Again, our army of volunteers rolled up as much of the carpet as they could and tried to save other items, but it really wrecked everything.”

Thanks again to the generosity of the local community, the Club got back on its feet, but with the current tough economic environment and cost of living pressures, it faces a precarious future.

“We are back up and running but we are struggling because we’ve had three major hits,” says Margaret.

“Lately it’s been very slow. A lot of people here are retirees and haven’t got a lot of money, and others are very hardworking but they don’t have a lot of disposable income at the moment.”

The Club is very grateful to have had the support of other clubs who have donated items of furniture, but Margaret fears for its future, particularly due to their vulnerability during bad weather.

“We’re really in the lap of the gods,” she says.

“This community has a proud history of being hard working, but we’re proud people and it’s hard to ask for donations and help because we’ve got nothing to give in return, apart from a thank you card.”

While the weather can’t be controlled, it won’t stop Margaret and her Board from doing all they can to ensure the survival of the beloved community institution.

“If the Club was lost it would be really hard on everyone,” she says.

“To come down here of a night and see locals sitting around enjoying themselves, it really is like a big extended family.”

If you would like to help Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club, please contact the ClubsNSW Media Team at [email protected].