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

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. Pennant. Division C3, section winner, 1962-63Dark blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. Pennant. Division C2, section winner, 1963-64Dark blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. Pennant. Division B4, section winner, 1965-66Dark blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. - ANZ Pennant. Division 7, section winner, 1988-89Light blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. - ANZ Pennant. Division 6, section winner, 1992-93Light blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. Pennant. Division 7, section winner, 2007-2008Light blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. - Pensioners Network & Bendigo Bank Pennant. Division C.3, section winner, 1999-2000Dark blue felt flag with white lettering, mounted on cardboard in metal frame under glass.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

Heidelberg Golf Club Bowling Club: R.V.B.A. Pennant. Division 6, section winner, 2008-2009Light blue felt flag with black lettering, mounted on cardboard in black timber frame under glass. Inset team photo and caption.heidelberg golf club, heidelberg golf club bowling club, bowls victoria, pennant (bowls), royal victorian bowling association

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

On the 19th of October, 1992, the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria (AFV) took part in an active living expo, which included lawn bowls. This photo depicts AFV's Jenny Davidson (second from the left) with Levarie Mack (from APT) and Norm Knoff, President of the Rich River Golf Club and member of the Royal Victorian Bowls Association.Black and white photo of four people standing next to one another on a bowling green.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, expo, lawn bowls, jenny davidson, levarie mack, apt, norm knoff, president, rich river golf club, royal victorian bowls association, 1992

On the 19th of October, 1992, the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria (AFV) took part in an active living expo, which included lawn bowls. This photo depicts AFV's Jenny Davidson and Valerie Sayce (third and fourth from the left, respectively) with Levarie Mack from APT (second from the left), Neville Fuller from the Melbourne Cricket Club Lawn (second from the right), and Norm Knoff, President of the Rich River Golf Club (far right). The badges on both Neville's and Norm's jackets indicate that their clubs are also members of the Royal Victorian Bowls Association.Black and white photo of six people standing next to one another on a bowling green.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, expo, lawn bowls, levarie mack, apt, jenny davidson, valerie sayce, physiotherapist, neville fuller, melbourne cricket club, mcc, norm knoff, president, rich river golf club, royal victorian bowls association, 1992