Age no limit for Bongaree’s Arthur & Andy
By Rod Curtis
Bongaree Bowls Club has two older members still active on the green, Arthur and Andy.
Arthur Hangan 90 Years – Life Member
Arthur spent his early years at Seymour, Victoria. At age 15, he got a job with The Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG) as a telegraph messenger and continued to work in other public service departments including the Labour and National Service Department as a disability placement officer, then as an electoral officer in 1966. Arthur moved to Darwin as an electoral officer for the Northern Territory in 1974. He established the Northern Territory Electoral as their CEO in 1979.
Arthur’s bowls life began when he started playing bowls in Darwin and became an accredited coach. Arthur retired from the workforce in 1988 and then moved to Bright in Victoria, where he was the Bright Bowls Club’s president on several occasions as well as board chairman.
Arthur has been the sponsor of the Arthur Hangan Singles for 25 years at the Bright Bowls Club in Victoria and returns each year to run and sponsor this event.
Arthur moved to Queensland in 1998, joined the Bongaree Bowls Club and has held various roles since then. He became the junior vice president, senior vice president, games director and was president for four years. Arthur remains active as the club’s memberships coordinator and is still enjoys his bowls today.
Andy Anderson 95 Years
In his youth, Andy lived in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane for 17 years, before going to Sydney as a labourer. He joined the Army in 1949 and did service in Korea as a machine gunner.
After leaving the army, Andy became a window tinter and played golf for a couple of years before taking up lawn bowls at the West Toowong Bowls Club during the mid 1970s. In 1990, Andy joined the Bongaree Bowls club and is still bowling today.
