Submerged: The scene at the front gate of the Seymour Bowling Club recently.
It wasn’t until Monday, October 17 that members were able to access the bowling club to properly assess the inevitable flood damage.
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The initial sight was confronting. While thankful the clubhouse appeared to suffer no significant damage above floorboard level, anything below was flooded.
This includes cooling and refrigeration units which are currently inoperable.
Both the grass and synthetic greens remained completely flooded, so the process began by pumping the water off. Many thanks to club sponsor J & J Equipment Hire for donating the use of the pump free of charge.
At first assessment, the news in relation to the near-new synthetic green is not good.
It has suffered severe damage and at the time of writing, the club remains unsure if any portion remains repairable or salvageable.
Thanks to the 20 or so Army volunteers who had a crack at straightening out the ridges.
The grass green was covered in thick mud and silt, and on the Tuesday, the recovery process began.
The first question asked by the greens’ director to a consultant was “How long can Tiff Dwarf Couch grass hold its breath underwater?”
The consultant was unsure. *Answer to this question later.
Under water: The greens at Seymour Bowling Club as floodwater descended on the precinct.
It was gratifying to see the number of volunteers ready to assist including several new and returning members.
We even had a young man from Axedale, Adrian, who just walked in off the street to help and put in several solid hours.
Whatever job that needed to be done was going to be dirty, smelly and physically demanding and work not generally sought by the members’ age demographic.
Volunteers concentrated on a couple of areas including draining, cleaning out and disposing of all the waterlogged and damaged items stored under the building.
Huge thanks to Peter Hockley, his truck and his helpers for loading and disposing of the rubbish.
The other main focus was the grass green.
This was a painstaking task of scraping and removing mud to see what survived underneath.
As work continued, the team became more hopeful that the green had not suffered irreparably and by later in the week, the grounds hierarchy was confident that it would be fit for use by sometime the following week.
A fantastic effort by all involved. *Apparently at least five-and-a-half days.
Clean-up crew: Army personnel assist members with the clean-up effort.
The volunteers were sustained during “smoko” and lunch breaks by an array of homemade sandwiches, rolls, cakes, scones, sausage rolls, quiche and other treats.
Much enjoyed and appreciated by the workers.
President Jan Wesselman hosted an informal supper on Friday evening to provide members with an update and to thank all those who had volunteered.
While yet unable to quantify the loss and acknowledging that final costs are likely to be substantial, Jan noted the members’ morale remains high and is confident the club will address the practical and financial challenges that lay ahead.
The immediate future of the pennant season is unclear as the Goulburn Valley Bowls division assesses the condition and availability of rinks in the region.
— Jack
Aftermath: A look at the Seymour Bowling Club greens after the floodwater had receded.
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