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Redefining local social capital: the past, present and future of bowling clubs in Sydney

Redefining local social capital: the past, present and future of bowling clubs in Sydney Bowling clubs have been local institutions in Australia for over 150 years. Once a booming pastime, the popularity of lawn bowls has waned and subsequently so has the number of clubs. Sydney has lost nearly half the number of clubs from 1980, many of them in the past decade. Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the ‘third place’ as a vital and inclusive local social hub, this paper charts the evolving geography and governance of the bowling club in metropolitan Sydney from the nineteenth century. The focus of this paper is on closures and land use changes between 2005 and 2020 and projected trends. A crucial factor in securing more public-orientated redevelopment outcomes is land ownership. The findings highlight how closure and redevelopment mediated through the NSW planning system impacts the social capital of communities. Bowling clubs as third places constitute important informal social centres. While this legacy persists as they adapt to new societal trends, the decline in the number of traditional clubs suggest that without a wider appreciation of the distinctive character of the Australian ‘bowlo’, there is a risk of not only losing valued community infrastructure but a centrepiece of the Australian cultural landscape. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian Geographer Taylor & Francis

Redefining local social capital: the past, present and future of bowling clubs in Sydney

Heath, Louis; Freestone, Robert
Australian Geographer , Volume 54 (2): 20 – Apr 3, 2023
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2022 Geographical Society of New South Wales Inc.
ISSN
1465-3311
eISSN
0004-9182
DOI
10.1080/00049182.2022.2144257
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Bowling clubs have been local institutions in Australia for over 150 years. Once a booming pastime, the popularity of lawn bowls has waned and subsequently so has the number of clubs. Sydney has lost nearly half the number of clubs from 1980, many of them in the past decade. Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the ‘third place’ as a vital and inclusive local social hub, this paper charts the evolving geography and governance of the bowling club in metropolitan Sydney from the nineteenth century. The focus of this paper is on closures and land use changes between 2005 and 2020 and projected trends. A crucial factor in securing more public-orientated redevelopment outcomes is land ownership. The findings highlight how closure and redevelopment mediated through the NSW planning system impacts the social capital of communities. Bowling clubs as third places constitute important informal social centres. While this legacy persists as they adapt to new societal trends, the decline in the number of traditional clubs suggest that without a wider appreciation of the distinctive character of the Australian ‘bowlo’, there is a risk of not only losing valued community infrastructure but a centrepiece of the Australian cultural landscape.

Journal

Australian Geographer – Taylor & Francis

Published: Apr 3, 2023

Keywords: Social capital; third places; bowling clubs; Sydney; urban planning; redevelopment

References

  • Planning for Healthy Ageing: How the Use of Third Places Contributes to the Social Health of Older Populations
  • Social Capital and Political Fantasy: Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone
  • Historic Hurlstone Park Bowling Club Closes Doors After 70 Years
  • Older Adults Frequent Visits to a Fast-Food Restaurant: Nonobligatory Social Interaction and the Significance of Play in A Third Place
  • Community Gardens As Third Places
  • Closure of Third Places? Exploring Potential Consequences for Collective Health and Wellbeing
  • Development of a Scale to Measure Social Capital in Recreation and Sport Clubs
  • Forget the Golden Oldies and Welcome to New Jack City
  • The Continuing Relevance of the Library As A Third Place for Users and Non-Users of IT: The Case of Canada Bay
  • Call for Flexibility on Dress
  • The Third Place
  • Expanding Oldenburg: Homes As Third Places
  • Bowling Clubs are Not What They Were, But Is It the End of the Bowlo?
  • The Decline of Intergenerational Coresidence in the United States, 1850 to 2000
  • ‘Strewth! That’s Heritage’: Ritual, Remnant, Reuse, and Document in the Australian Landscape
  • A Fair Game for All? How Community Sports Clubs in Australia Deal With Diversity
  • Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as ‘Third Places’
  • Exploring the Nature of Third Places and Local Social Ties in High-Density Areas: The Case of a Large Mixed-Use Complex
  • Competitive Sport and the Construction of Place Identity in Rural Australia