Bowled Over: Silver Medallist Errol a Champion of the Game

Between 1972 and 1979, Resthaven Westbourne Park resident Mr Errol Bungey represented Australia in the sporting arena on 68 separate occasions. The sport was lawn bowls. The competition was fierce, and Errol was one of the ones to beat.

Competing in the World Championships in 1972 in England, the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in 1974, and the Commonwealth Games in Canada in 1978, Errol says that at the time the nations who were seriously competitive were all part of the Commonwealth.

His big win came as part of the silver medal-winning Fours Team at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Errol played against 20 different countries during the two-week competition, coming in second only to the New Zealand team that took home the gold.

‘We actually beat New Zealand when we played them,’ Errol says. ‘But the medals were awarded on the number of wins across the competition. We lost a few games we shouldn’t have, and that’s what cost us first place.’

But Errol is not upset – he says the experience was amazing.

‘It was customary at the time to shake hands at the end of the match and swap your country pin with a competitor – everyone was very friendly,’ Errol says.

These pins, along with his silver medal are now proudly displayed on his wall.

From bat to bowls

It was at the age of 29 that Errol moved from playing district cricket at Port Adelaide to moving next door and joining the Alberton Bowls Club.

‘I put down the bat and picked up the bowls,’ Errol laughs. ‘I was one of the youngest competitors at the time, though now people start bowls at all ages.

 
Errol Bungey B&W pic with family 1972

It wasn’t long before Errol had made his mark on the club, and in his second year he won the Club Championship at Alberton. He then went on to win the Champion of Champions tournament in 1966.

Errol moved to the larger club of Grange Bowling Club and made his way into the SA State team. He proved his abilities on a national level and was selected for the Australian teams: the 5-man World Championships team and the 7-man Commonwealth Games team.

‘I was the only player from South Australia who made the national team at the time,’ Errol says. ‘Most of the players were from the Eastern states.’

There was no prize money awarded at the time, but Errol says people were still very competitive.

‘There was a lot of training involved,’ Errol says. ‘As well as playing nationally, there were also club games to compete in, as well as state events. Also, when I came back from the 1972 World Championships I did a lot of talks and coaching at various sites, as well as being the Grange club president for a number of years, and a member of the committee.’

Errol is now a life member and patron of the Grange Bowling Club.

Following the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Errol retired from international competition, but he continued to play State Bowls until the 1980s, and social games until the 1990s.

In 1986, he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his services to the sport.

Bowled over

After leaving the sport competitively, Errol stayed involved on the sidelines. He was a National Selector from 1998 to 2002 and officiated on the Marker’s Panel at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1990 and World Bowls in Adelaide in 1996.

In 2006 he was honoured to carry the Commonwealth Games baton on its way to Melbourne, taking it past the Mount Bold hotel. An official photo of this moment hangs on Errol’s wall, and in the background of it the photographer has managed to capture Errol’s wife Jill, as well as two of his sisters.

‘Jill was very supportive of my involvement in bowls,’ Errol says. ‘And although she didn’t play, she did love to watch. She and I made some life-long friends through the sport.’

Errol says that the thing he most enjoyed about playing bowls was the friendliness of the other players.

‘I made a lot of friends playing bowls,’ Errol says. ‘I got to tour the world as a player, and many of the friends I made were people from other countries and other teams. But that doesn’t mean that we weren’t competitive! I think that’s just human nature!’

 
Errol Bungey official bowls portrait 2011

In addition to his national and international success, Errol represented South Australia on 130 occasions and won State titles in the Champion of Champion Singles, State Pairs, State Triples and State Fours. He also won numerous Grange Bowling Club titles. Errol is in the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame, as well as the Bowls SA Hall of Fame.

‘It (bowls) has brought me an enormous amount of pleasure,’ Errol says. ‘It’s been a wonderful life.’

Find out more about Resthaven