Board Management / Committe:
President: B. Knapton
Secretary: D. Hayden
Treasurer: G. Heselwood
History
There were very few deaf bowlers in each states in the 1950's. The first (unoffical) Queensland deaf lawn bowlers were the Mareeba Bowls Club members, Trixie - female bowler, in the 1970's era. Herman T. Beutel, his wife, Doris, and Edward (ned) Moore formed the membefshiop bowlers Club in 1964. Graham Vale, another deaf bowler, are with Stanthorpe Bowls Club since 1967. The following deaf bowlers - Charlie F. Bergman joined as a member of Cannon Hill Bowl Club in 1970 and Paul McKeznie started as a member of Wavell Heighs Bowl Club in 1970 until 1978, when he transferred to Toombul Bowls Club after that year.
After all the series of unofficial matches during the Australian Deaf Games which was run by the Australian Deaf Sports Federation (now known as Deaf Sports Australia), which it's matches were held in Sydney 1964 /65 and again Melbourne 1968, the bowlers of each representative states at the conclusion of the 1968 Games formed a official national club, Australian Deaf Bowling Association. This leads to the official forming of the Queensland Deaf Bowling Committee which was founded on 18th February, 1970. This committee were affilaited with the Royal Queensland Bowls Assoiciation now known as Lawn Bowls Queensland. The official name at the time was "Deaf Social Lawn Bowls Club of Queensland". In 1973, the Queensland Deaf ladies Bowls Club was founded.
The first Sunday for the social bowling for the Deaf bowlers was on 26th April, 1970 at Chelmer Bowls Club. Their Social Night which is a card night was on 17th April, 1970.The club's first fund raising event was at Peregian Beach Bowls Club on 16th June, 1974.
From 1970 to today, the various numbers of the deaf bowlers who played social bowls, visiting metropolitan / country bolws clubs on weekends, numbering approximates 575, raised funds for the Australian Deaf Games series every three years in state roations. The Australian Deaf Games now helds every four years.
Percy Bates has presently the longest man-membership of D.L.B.Q. (Deaf Lawn Bowls Queensland). Since 1972 and his wife Nellie, has presently the longest women-membership since 1973. The Bateses are profoundly appreciated for being invovlement in several positions withint he Associatoin since when they first joined.
From 1976, the personally strong volunteer ex-Yeronga bowler, Reg Flanagan, has worked for the Deaf Lawn Bowl of Queensland in several positions for 31 years in 2009. He is still invovled in Lawn Bowls Queensland Association.
In January 1993, the first International Deaf Bowling Championship took place in Melbourne in conjunction with the Australian Deaf Lawn Bowls Association's 25th Anniversary, in which its match was won by Queenslnd.
During the 12th Australian Deaf Games in Canberra in 1997, there was an emotinal farewell apprearance by well known Australian Deaf Sports identities such as Percy and Nellie Bates, the legendary couple whohave played their last games. Percy Bates was one of the few who pioneered Deaf Sports in Australian, going back as far as 1946 when Deaf Sports was in its infancy. He has played many sports since he first started in 1946 and was a member of the cricket, tennis, carpet and lawn bowls team delegatio9ns to all 12 Australian Deaf Games includind Deaf carnivals that preceeded the 1st Australian Deaf Games - a record that would be hard to emulate.
Barry Lynne of Mareeba and Bernie Welch of Pine Rivers Bowl Clubs were the first deaf Queensland bowlers playing for Deaf Australia Bowl team to match the 3rd International Deaf Bowling Championship with six nations in Durbin, South AFricia in 1999 and they won this for the hat-trick.
Playing lawn bowls especially for the Deaf is a way to renew old friendship and memories, friendship that were made over the years in all sports at past Carnivals and Games.
