A furious local in one of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs has taken a stoush with a bowling club to new heights, suggesting behaviour from patrons was akin to that ‘you would find in the Northern Territory’.
A heated row has broken out between residents in the ritzy suburb of Mosman and the ‘noisy’ bowling club they claim is disrupting their lives.
Locals in Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore, say the 120-year old Warringah Bowling Club has abandoned its genteel sport’s roots for more raucous events, and that they now face noise from children’s jumping castles, trivia nights, live bands and hoon behaviour.
But the conflict reached new heights when one enraged local sent a message through to 2GB radio host Chris O’Keefe.
In an anonymous email, the disgruntled neighbour claimed the behaviour witnessed from bowling club patrons was ‘something you would find in the Northern Territory, not Mosman’.
The anonymous author suggested patrons of the bowls club exhibited behaviour akin to ‘something you would find in the Northern Territory’
The person claimed locals had seen a young boy climbing a neighbour’s fence, and children late at night ‘running around in the dark on the lawn bowls green screaming and shouting’.
They said while residents supported ‘having a party and celebrating life’, continuous disturbances had become ‘unbearable’.
The anonymous writer also accused the venue of contacting media outlets ‘for sympathy’.
‘However we can prove and challenge many of their statements and arguments,’ the email read.
The battle between the club and its neighbours on Bradleys Head Road erupted into public view when its licence came up for renewal last week.
The battle between the club and its neighbours has been ongoing for more than two years
The row began more than two years ago when locals claims the club was reinvented as a function centre, sparking a flood of complaints to NSW Liquor and Gaming.
Locals claim the bowlo is now just a ‘noisy beer garden’ with ‘anti-social behaviour including yelling, cheering, drinking contests and foul language’.
A report to NSW Liquor and Gaming revealed locals had complained the noise of live bands and trivia nights is now being ‘broadcast… with some residents able to understand the trivia questions.’
Locals sent pictures of a pair of boozed-up patrons urinating in the club’s childcare centre car park, and said guests frequently loitered in the car park ‘talking loudly, yelling and swearing’.
The club insisted there was no evidence the two men pictured urinating were its customers.
Neighbours have now demanded the club demolish the pavilion, or have restrictions imposed on its use, and all outdoor events to end by sunset, with most functions held indoors, and a strict 10pm curfew, with CCTV and sound level monitoring.
ocals have claimed the club is now just a ‘noisy beer garden’ with ‘anti-social behaviour including yelling, cheering, drinking contests and foul language’
Police say they have worked with residents and the club to try to find a solution, which has since seen acoustic blinds and soundproofing installed as well as a new fence.
But the complaints continued to flood in, although police only found a problem in two of 26 callouts by neighbours, says the report.
Local councillor Simon Menzies said the residents complained about ‘everything and anything’.
‘If the bowlo goes under because of the neighbours, the developers will come in and put high-rise units in, which will make the neighbours even more upset,’ he added.
The club says it has now banned lucrative 18th and 21st birthday parties, and all bands now play indoors with all windows shut.
It says it has also restricted the hours of the pavilion’s use, to 6pm in winter, 8pm on Friday and Saturdays and 7pm on Sundays in summer.
Children have also now been banned from playing on the bowling green and will be confined to a smaller area where they can be more closely supervised.
Complaints from disgruntled neighbours include over noise from children’s jumping castles
It also plans to bring in security guards to enforce the club rules on behaviour, with two guards for functions of more than 100 guests.
But it added: ‘The club is one of the few local venues where patrons can enjoy being outdoors.
‘To impose a condition limiting the number of outdoor events, such as barefoot bowls, to only four per month during summer is ‘unreasonably draconian’.
‘Many members are older and vulnerable adults who prefer to sit outdoors where there is less risk of Covid transmission…four per month is unreasonable and unfair.’
Council checks on sound levels in December 2022 and January 2023 found that while the ‘noise was audible it was not deemed to be offensive or unreasonable’.
NSW Liquor and Gaming has now issued the club with a formal warning because of the ‘undue disturbance at times from the use of the outdoor pavilion’.
It added: ‘The club has an ongoing obligation to proactively manage any disturbance caused by its operations.’
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