Sports Clubs in Kew in the final decades of the 19th century and in the early 20th century were often umbrella organisations with facilities for a number of sports. Typically in Kew, this included teams in lawn bowls, tennis and croquet. The Kew Bowling Club was formed in 1880 while the privately owned Auburn Heights Recreation Club was opened in 1904. By 1998, the two Clubs decided to amalgamate at the Auburn Heights site in Barkers Road, forming the Kew Heights Sports Club. The combined club was itself taken over by the Melbourne Cricket Club in 2012 becoming MCC Kew Sports Club. In 2017 MCC Kew closed and its landholding was subsequently sold to Carey Baptist Grammar School. Both the Kew and Auburn Heights Clubs assembled important collections. These historically significant and large collections were donated to the Society in 2020. The collections include manuscripts, pictures, trophies, plans, honour boards etc. References Barnard FGA 1910, 'Sports and Pastimes' in Jubilee History of Kew Victoria: Its origin & progress 1803-1910. Nixon NV 1980, The History of the Kew Bowling Club 1880-1980. Reeve S 2012, City of Boroondara: Thematic Environmental History, p.216.The combined collections of the four sporting clubs making up the collection number hundreds of items that are historically significant locally. They are also significant to the sporting history of the greater Melbourne area and to the sports of lawn bowls and tennis in Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection illuminates two of the Victorian historic themes - 'Building community life' through forming community organisations and 'Shaping cultural and creative life' by participating in sport and recreation.RVBA Pennant [plaque] given to Kew Bowling Club as Winners of All Games in Division 2/Section 7 during the 1982-3 season. [The item is part of the large historic Kew Bowling Club collection (1880-1988) gifted to the Kew Historical Society in 2020].kew bowling club - wellington street - kew (vic), clubs - lawn bowls - kew (vic), kew bowling club - rvba pennants

The Royal Victorian Bowls Association had a club in Mt Beauty.Mt. Beauty had a club belonging to the Royal Victorian Bowls AssociationBlack felt pocket with white "R V B A / Mt. Beauty" sewn in large letters. Royal Victorian Bowls Association. The top side of the material is hemmed.R V B A / Mt. Beautymt beauty. royal victorian bowls association. bob burnett. bowling. sport. club

Bowls suit worn by member Barbara GARDINER's father William, who played from the 1950s to 1970s. On name tage WD refers to Barbara's father and A to her mother Alice. On trousers the name Bennett may refer to an uncle. Bill HEGARTY was a member of the Port Melbourne Bowling Club from the 1950s until he died in 1985.Cream "suit" (.01 is jacket: ;.02 is trousers), Royal Victorian Bowls Association, Port Melbourne Branch. Name label sewn on (red print) - A Hegarty WD. Jacket has a Dunlop label; trousers are Fletcher Jones. (.03) Bowling Club hatband Photo of Bill playing in his "suit" is catalogued at 2902.sport - lawn bowls, william (bill) hegarty, royal victorian bowls association, port melbourne bowling club