One of region’s ‘wise’ sport visionaries’ legacy is still telling on greens

A young bowler taking their game to the next level always had Rod McKechnie quite “chuffed”.

He was always keen to see how high they would go and follow their progress.

The lawn bowls landscape might have significantly changed in the 15 or so years since Mr McKechnie was a leading administrator driving the game for the region, but his legacy is most telling in junior rinks.

Mr McKechnie, who died this month aged 86, was one of Ballarat’s leading sports administrators.

He was a key figure in launching Ballarat junior singles and the junior provincial championships, which started 19 years ago and remain strong statewide.

He was also a major figure in developing Ballarat-Geelong Premier Bowls that, while no longer contested, was also about pushing players to confidently take on a higher level tactical and skillful game.

Bowlers who have been around the greens a while have been paying tribute to Mr McKechnie as one of the most knowledgeable bowls administrators of his time, “not backwards in coming forward” in keeping the competition on track.

There was little controversy or politicking, they say, because Mr McKechnie made clear where everything stood.

Mr McKechnie was one of the last Ballarat Regional Bowls Association secretaries, in office from 1993-2007, in a time when men’s and women’s competition was split between ruling bodies, Royal Victorian Bowls Association and Victorian Ladies Bowling Association.

He was also a highly respected figure in carefully navigating competing demands as the RVBA’s group one secretary (1992-97 and 2000-09).

These structures have long been gone under the unification of the RVBA and VLBA in 2009, which in Ballarat took shape as Ballarat District Bowls Division, a precursor to Ballarat Highlands Bowls Region.

Rod McKechnie was one of the last secretaries for Ballarat Regional Bowls Association, the men’s league which has since been absorbed into what is now Ballarat Highlands Bowls Region.

Many in the game now who worked with Mr McKechnie said bowls in Ballarat was in the good shape due to the imprint Mr McKechnie left on the greens.

He was the last of Ballarat bowls’ “three wise monkeys” along with then-group one chairman Ian Bishop and chairman of selectors Murray Rowe.

Between them they never missed a regional or state tournament to support bowlers.

Their afternoon teas were also the stuff of legend – or a bonus worth playing for – particularly in the RVBA group sides championship in Corowa where they would put on a players’ barbecue with few wines.

Barb Rowe, Murray’s wife, fondly remembers haggling with Mr McKechnie about fitting fruit cake into the afternoon tea budget.

She would argue the women liked a slice of fruit cake with their cup of tea – and while Mr McKechnie might begrudgingly relent, he seemed to enjoy a slice or two as well.

The development of Ballarat-Geelong Premier Bowls was about keeping home rinks strong. The top five clubs in Ballarat would enter a competition with Geelong’s top five each Saturday pennant season.

This also allowed for the likes of promising young talent to fine-tune their game without the need to move to Melbourne clubs so early.

Commonwealth Games 2014 men’s fours bronze medallist Matt Flapper (Central Wendouree) and two-time world champion bowler Brett Wilkie (Webbcona) were among the emerging talent.

Premier bowls was deemed a success one summer when Victoria Bowling Club, which had defeated Queenscliff in the final, took on Moonee Ponds in a state final.

Victoria held its own against a predominantly professional rival, featuring the likes of international Mark Jacobsen.

Long-time bowler Ross Jones said Mr McKechnie’s other bowls legacy was in the annual Heartbeat Tournament, which continues to fundraise for healthcare in Ballarat.

“He fought that battle hard because there were so many other tournaments at the same time,” Mr Jones said.

“He was a great man, an excellent secretary – so good and so thorough – and helped others so much in their bowls.”

Mr McKechnie earned life membership for the BRBA in 2006 and group one in 2008.

He has also been a much-loved committee member and team manager with Avoca Football Netball Club where, alongside wife Marg, his family became heavily involved in the 1970s and 80s.

The McKechnie family moved to Avoca where Mr McKechnie became the newsagent. When he and Marg retired to Ballarat, sport – specifically bowls – was again how they settled into a new community.

Mr McKechnie was a parochial Collingwood supporter.

Since his death, Mr McKechnie sons could only find playing records for their father playing for country clubs that wore black and white.

Article courtesy of Melanie Whelan and Ballarat Courier.