Greenlees Early Days

The building & re-building of Greenlees Park Bowling Club during & after the clubhouse fire. Around July 1955. (Click an image to enlarge.)

Alec Sutherland raising the flag at Greenlees on Anzac Day, probably mid 1960s.

The club was recently contacted by the granddaughter of Alexander Sutherland, an early member of Greenlees Park Bowling Club, after she saw these early photos. With her permission we are publishing her memories of her grandfather and the 1955 fire.

I was cleaning out some cupboards and found my grandfathers set of lawn bowls. His name was Alec Sutherland and was a member many years ago. I decided to have look to see if Greenlees was still around and there he was. A lovely photo popped of him in your photo gallery. I remember as a child the fire and we went to have a look at the aftermath.

My Mum found a charred baking dish amongst the rubble. It was the best baking dish she ever owned.

[Coming across this photo is] a very surprising find. He is pictured on photo number 18 as it goes through the gallery. He is looking straight at the camera with one other gentlemen, that man in round black rimmed glasses. They are standing around a table with tea cups and saucers.

Grandad, Alexander Sutherland, was born in 1893 in Scotland, emigrated with his family in 1913 to Western Australia where he worked at a gold mine around Boulder. Later, as a fireman for the Boulder Fire Brigade. He married Eliza Elva Nancarrow in Western Australia. Coming to Sydney, Five Dock in 1920. Eliza Elva was also a ladies bowler at Greenlees.

My sister has a photo of him raising the flag on Anzac Day as that was his job at Greenlees and I can ask her to send you a copy if you wish. [Now photo 19 above.]

He landed at Gallipoli and was wounded there. He was always a write-off on Anzac Day having spent all day at your club from dawn till who knows when. How we loved him.

I have his bowls in a very heavy old bowls case. They have on them, white swans in the centre, representing Western Australia. Inside the case is written, A Sutherland, 27 Noble Street, Concord. UF 4217 (phone number) The Bowls are engraved with, 5″ standard Dunlop 1446.

Thank you for those lovely memories of my grandfather.

Regards,
Sue Williams
July 2017