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Bowls: Top bowls club honour to Manson Russel

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ABOVE: MANSON RUSSEL ('48) WITH COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF THE OLD SCOTCH BOWLS CLUB. BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: DON BADENACH (’48), COLIN SIMPSON (’49), KEITH WEYMOUTH (‘44). FRONT: PETER MCCAUSLAND (’50), IAN MCMURTRIE (’58), BILL MCNAUGHTON (’54) AND BOB ARNOLD (’44).

At the annual general meeting of the Old Scotch Bowls Club in March, Manson Russel (‘48) announced his intention to retire from office in the club, after 20 years’ service, during most of which he had been president.

Manson Russel is, without a doubt, one of the most loyal, devoted and contributing members in the history of our club. He came to lawn bowls after a distinguished sporting career in Victorian amateur football, as a player with Old Scotch and an administrator for, and a delegate to, the Victorian Amateur Football Association, where he rose to the office of president. His role in amateur football in Victoria justly earned him the federal government award of an Australian Sports Medal in 2000. Manson continues to be closely involved with the fluctuating fortunes of the Old Scotch Football Club.

Commencing lawn bowling, he became a member of the Riversdale Golf Bowls Club, and was president of the club for many years. He regularly played and captained the club in metropolitan pennant competitions. When the Riversdale Golf Bowls Club was forced to close by the ground expansion demands of the golf club in 2010, Manson joined the Melbourne Cricket Club bowls section, and continued to play pennant for that club until recently.

Manson recalls that he joined Old Scotch Bowls Club in 1985, and in 1995 he became its secretary for one year before being elected president in 1996, a position he held until March 2015.

OSCA honoured Manson with its Merit Award in 2007, and in 2013 he received OSCA’s highest award, Honorary Life Membership, an accolade conferred on only 44 Old Boys in OSCA’s history.

All Old Scotch Bowls Club members have benefited from Manson’s influence as president of the club, and we are sad that he has retired from an official club position.

Old Scotch Bowls Club honoured Manson with the award of life membership at the annual general meeting in 2008. At the 2015 AGM in March, the club was delighted to confer on Manson the honour of Patron of the Old Scotch Bowls Club, in appreciation of his years of outstanding service to Old Scotch Bowls.

Scotch achieved third place in the annual APS Bowls Day, held at Glen Waverley Bowls Club on 29 March. This was one of our best results for several years. St Kevin’s took out the trophy, with Haileybury second.

KEITH WEYMOUTH (‘44)

Updated: 3 October 2016