Kerkow given Legend status
Kelvin Kerkow OAM to be given Legend Status at the B.A’s Hall of Fame and Awards Night next month. (Pictured left: South Tweed’s Kelvin Kerkow at the 2017 Golden Nugget competition at Tweed Heads Bowls Club.)
Story from Bowls Australia
One of the sport’s most synonymous names, Kelvin Kerkow OAM will be elevated to Legend Status at the sport’s Hall of Fame and Awards Night next month.
The South Tweed bowler will be one of the first additions to the exclusive club since Glynn Bosisto was confirmed at the inaugural staging of the Hall of Fame in 2011, and as such, are just the nation’s second and third bowls Legends.
Kerkow, 48, enjoyed a scintillating career for the Australian Jackaroos that spanned from 1995 to 2008, where he amassed more than 300 international caps and became one of the sport’s most distinguished and recognisable figures.
He created arguably the most iconic moment in bowls history when he claimed the coveted Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games men’s singles gold medal, after which, he ripped off his shirt and was chaired from the Darebin International Sports Centre arena by his teammates, draped in the Australian flag.
At a state level, he represented the Queensland Maroons on more than 350 occasions and was inducted into the Bowls Queensland Hall of Fame in 2008.
He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the sport of bowls in 2010.
Kerkow’s story is made even more remarkable given his endured and overcame a debilitating illness, known as Guillian Barre Syndrome, which paralysed him as a child and left him requiring the aid of a walking stick to play bowls for the remainder of his life, to become one of the world’s most successful players.
Kerkow boasts a rich history with South Tweed Sports, and is a current Australian Selector.
