Ken Docking an icon of Fitzroy Victoria Lawn Bowls Club
/Ken Docking is highly regarded among people around the Fitzroy Victoria Bowling & Sports Club, he has won everything that can be won in the game of lawn bowls, playing over 800 games. He is also a key contributor off-field.
The Fitzroy Victoria Bowling and Sports Club (FVBSC) in Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy is a relatively recent merger of bowling clubs originally established in the 1870’s. A significant person within the club is Ken Docking.
The family name Docking is well respected within the FVBSC. Ken’s father was president of the club and was awarded life membership for the services he provided to the club and the wider community.
Ken’s dad signed Ken up for membership in 1970. However, Ken was still a cricketer then, preferring it to lawn bowls.
Ken’s recounted that “the first game I played was in 1975 at the City of Melbourne during Moomba, which we won,” he said. However, it was a one off game, as he was still playing cricket.
Although, due to unfortunate circumstances the next year, Ken was soon to stop playing cricket and play pennant lawn bowls within the league.
“My father died in 1976, one year into his retirement. I retired from cricket and focused on playing lawn bowls,” he said.
Ken was an instant success throughout his first year of playing; “throughout my first season of lawn bowls I moved from the 3rd side to the top side,” he said.
In 1989, Ken’s family created history when Ken won the club championship award. “Which at the time was the first time a father and son had both won one,” he said.
It’s on-field where Ken has enjoyed plenty of success throughout various competitions representing Fitzroy. “We won our share of finals,” he said.
“I’ve won everything in the club beside novices, which I couldn’t enter,” he joked.
Only people who haven’t been affiliated with a club are permitted to enter the Novice category, whereas Ken joined the club before he really started to play and has happily been with Fitzroy Victoria lawn bowls club his entire career.
Ken listed everything he won, which was 17 titles in all, over a range of different competitions, Triples, Pairs, President’s handicap, 100 up and 17 up, as well as a Club Championship. He’s won three Triples, which is where three people play, including the skipper and four pairs when there are just two players.
He’s also won three, 100-up, which is the first to 100 points, with four bowls for each player.
Three, 17-up, which is the first to score 17 points.
And a highlight, three president’s handicaps.
Ken has won it all; “Everything that’s been there to win I’ve won,” he said.
For all of Ken’s heroics on the greens he has also done a lot for the club and the community off-field.
“I was on the committee, then became a secretary for 10 years, as well as also being a selector for 30 years,” he said.
Ken didn’t want people to think he was manipulating his power as selector in choosing the teams. “Once I became a selector I dropped myself from the top side,” he said.
When asked why and if it was a sacrifice, he answered “It was against my principles”.
Lawn bowl clubs rely on people that continue to help and support the club on and off-field, FVBSC is no different.
The most rewarding role Ken’s had, and also the most challenging, was being the secretary for 10 years, during which time the club rebuilt itself.
“It was a tough job, with big responsibilities involved but I had a good team and together we helped restructure this club,” he said.
The two bowling clubs, Victoria and Fitzroy, merged at the start of 2001 helping further strengthen the club.
At this time bowling clubs across Australia were facing financial difficulties and new approaches were needed. The newly formed FVBSC started barefoot bowls and a focus on being a desirable venue for functions.
The functions are one of the main reasons why the club is in such a stable financial position today. Throughout November, December and January they are basically sold out for functions.
This is where they earn their money as they don’t have pokies.
Although it wasn’t always like this, with the club struggling financially and trying to attract players.
“We got on the back of the wave of the Crackerjack movie,” Ken said. Which attracted players to the game of lawn bowls.
“We had a turnover of only $60,000, which doesn’t pay many bills, however, we then doubled that to $120,000 then more than doubled that again to achieve $550,000 before reaching a current turnover of $1.5 million,” he said.
“Turnover of $1.5 million, which is far and away bigger than any other club,” he said.
Ken who is now in his 80’s and has survived a cancer scare, still comes down to the club most days; “I come down to the club every day, do my little chores and make sure everyone is happy,” he said.
A good representation of the work Ken does for the club was the acknowledgment by Community Clubs Victoria (CCV). In 2017 Ken was awarded Club Official of the Year for the work he does for the club and the wider community.
The club also celebrate Ken’s name, with the annual intra-club General Kenny Tournament, held at the start of every season.
To launch the start of a new campaign, Ken and Graham, both stalwarts of the club, skipper respective sides. The teams they captain rotate throughout the day so that everyone gets the opportunity to learn from both Ken and Graham.
Ken embarks on season forty-three with FVBSC and he couldn’t be more proud.
Ken is happy to see how well the club is running, with over 30 players under 20 years of age. This is the first time the club has had so many younger players and Ken looks forward to the club keeping on improving. Stating that “the club is running along very smoothly, which makes me really happy”.
- Club Feature Story by contributor Donal Wilson, 2019
Ken Docking in 2018, pictured with his Bill Foster Medal from the Fitzroy Victoria Bowling & Sports Club pennant season.
References
Only Melbourne What’s on, Sport and Recreation. www.onlymelbourne.com.au/fitzroy-victoria-bowling-and-sports-club, accessed 18/10/2019
FVBSC website, accessed 18/10/2019
Wilson, D 2019, Interview with Ken Docking, 7th October