The All Abilities Regional School Lawn Bowls Event

On the 28th of April, Kangaroo Flat Bowls Club hosted the inaugural All Abilities Regional School Lawn Bowls Event!

The event brought together 4 regional Victorian specialist schools and their students, including Bendigo Special Developmental School, Kalianna School Bendigo, Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School, and Maryborough Education Centre (MEC).

This event was made possible through a collaborative partnership between Kangaroo Flat Bowls Club, Sports Focus, ACHPER Victoria, and Bendigo Special Developmental School. For ACHPER, this initiative is part of their Active Schools Project, which supports schools in delivering meaningful, school-led outcomes by integrating physical activity into students’ daily lives, ensuring lifelong engagement in physical activity. For Sports Focus, our support is part of our Sport and Recreation Victoria Together More Active funding, which supports people with a disability to engage in sport and active recreation.

The City of Greater Bendigo also contributed to the success of the event, providing funding through their Small Grants Program. This enabled fresh fruit and a BBQ lunch for participants and volunteers, and medals for the top performers!

The event provided a wonderful opportunity to promote physical activity and inclusion across regional Victorian specialist schools, offering a safe and supportive environment where students could try a new sport, build confidence, and feel a sense of community and belonging. It encouraged teamwork, social interaction, and ongoing participation in community sport, enhancing both physical and mental well-being.

The volunteers from Kangaroo Flat Bowls Club were exceptional, showcasing outstanding communication, leadership, and empathy throughout the day. They supported the students by adapting the game as needed and offering encouragement during the three ends. In the end, Echuca Twin Rivers claimed first place!

The event helped to develop a strong partnership between the schools, organisations, and local sporting clubs, which in turn fostered a lasting sense of community and collaboration, laying the foundation for future events and continued engagement in inclusive sport. Well done to everyone involved in this fantastic event, we look forward to continuing these partnerships into the future.

A big thankyou to Matt Higgins, Health and P.E. Specialist at Bendigo Special Developmental School, for coordinating the day!