A Gala Day at Fallin - June 3, 1911
Opening of Bowling Green and Sale of Work
Photo by Bennett, St. Ninians.
Saturday last was a great day at the mining village of Fallin, three miles from Stirling, the occasion being the opening of a bowling green and a sale of work, both these events being the first of the kind in the village. The weather was beautiful, and when Mr Horne, K.C., Edinburgh, the Unionist candidate for the County at the last election, turned up and performed both opening ceremonies, there was a very large audience collected round the fence of the new bowling green, and also inside the enclosure.
Amongst those present were:- Mr and Mrs D. Todd, Fallin; Mr and Mrs R. Wallace, Greenfields Colliery, Hamilton; Mr and Miss Wallace, Greenfields Colliery, Hamilton; Mr and Mrs Gibb, Tannochside Collieries, Uddingston; Mr McKay and Mr J. Young, Cornselloch Collieries, Larkhall; Mr and Mrs Inglis, Plean; Mr and Mrs Simmons, Cowie; Mr and Mrs Roberts, Carnock; Dr and Mrs Porter, Fallin; Mr, Mrs, and Miss Kinniburgh, Cowie; Mr W. Davidson, Plean; Messrs Cowley, and Robertson, Craigend, Polmont; Mr J. MIndoe, Whistleberry, Blantyre; Mr J. Walker, Hamilton; Mr A. Falconer, Hamilton; Mr, Mrs, and Master G. Stewart, Rosebank, Blantyre; Mr and Mrs H. Barr, Motherwell; Mr W. and Miss Kerr, Motherwell; Mr and Misses McLaren, Alton Farm, Bandeath; Mr and Mrs Carsewell, Dykes Farm; Mr and Miss Tweedie, Throsk; Messrs Hunter, Wylie, and MIntosh, of Messrs Hunter and Warren, Glasgow; Mr Shallon, Buchers and Company, Leith; Dr Laidlaw; Messrs T. Muir, J. Laidlaw, and Skea, Stirling; Messrs A. Hannah, Wright, and Steel, Denny; Mr and Mrs Kerr, Bandeath Farm; Mr U. Henderson and Miss Henderson, Burnbank, Throsk; Mr D. Henderson and Miss Christie, Burnhead, Throsk; Mr and Mrs D. MNaughton, Old Polmaise; Rev. James Allan, Bannockburn; Misses Kerr, Mr and Mrs Mitchell, Mr and Mrs Penman, Mr and Mrs Johnston Barr, Mr and Mrs A. Campbell, Mr and Mrs W. Campbell, Mr and Mrs J. Campbell, Mr and Mrs Gemmell, and Mr and Mrs M'Phee, Fallin; Mr and Mrs J. Gemmel, Millhall; Mr W.F. Ferguson, Linden Avenue, Stirling; Mr Bryson, Cockspow Farm, etc.
Representatives were also present from Cowie, Bannockburn; Livilands, Borestone, Cambusbarron, Stirling, Spittalmyre, and Causewayhead Bowling Clubs.
The new green which is situated at the side of the road opposite the houses at Fallin, was laid by Mr Provan, Rutherglen, whilst the inclosing wall and fence were erected by Mr G. Stewart, Blantyre. Both are excellent pieces of work. The green has cost £300, and the expense of erecting the wall was £90. The green was opened practically free of debt, but it is still without a bowlhouse, which is a very necessary adjunct, and this is to be provided from funds raised by the sale of work and other sources.
It is expected that the Gothenburg Society Committee will assist in this matter after the first year's profit has declared on their institution. The officials of the bowling club are:- President, Mr D. Todd, colliery manager; Vice-president, Mr J. Barr, sen.; Secretary, Mr D. Blythe; Treasurer, Mr A. Kerr, and greenkeeper, Mr. R. Denovan. There are already 40 members.
No function like Saturday's is complete without a photograph of the company being taken, and this having been done by Mr Bennet, St. Ninians, the opening ceremony in connection with the green was proceeded with.
Mr Todd, in introducing Mr Horne, said that that gentlemen had showed his goodwill and love for his native shire when he put himself to the inconvenience of coming all the way from Edinburgh that afternoon to open the first bowling green and sale of work held in the village of Fallin.
Mr Horne, who made a neat little speech, said it was the greatest possible pleasure for him to be present that day and see Fallin in gala costume, and to assist in the opening of a bowling green which would be of the greatest possible use in the way of outdoor recreation in the future. They had met under the best conditions in regard to the weather, and he began to wonder if in this respect the nose of the Coronation had not been somewhat put out of joint when they had such a beautiful day as they were experiencing. (Laughter and applause.) He congratulated them on having such a fine green for recreation on a summer evening.
Some form of amusement after the day's work was required, and they could realise how beneficent it was for the people of a small village like Fallin that they should have a form of sport in which every member of the community could take a part. Britain had led the way as a nation in sport. She had taught bowling, football, and cricket to the world, and in doing so they might congratulate themselves that in these things Britain had proved of the best possible service to mankind. Any sport such as bowling bred a healthy type of man among the people, and it was treating life as it ought to be treated that they should not have all work and no play.
This was the spirit that animated Admiral Drake when he heard of the advent of the Spanish Armada on the English coast. He was playing bowls at the time, and when the news was brought to him of the enemy's appearance, he said they would finish their game, which he did, and then he went out and beat the Spaniards (Laughter and applause.) The new green would make the community of Fallin pure and better in every way, and the only thing he was uncertain of was that some of them might perhaps be so bent on playing bowls when they should be working on the night shift. (Laughter) They found themselves that day in a peculiarly happy situation.
Before him lay a beautiful green, and around him he saw such a scene as he thought could not be witnessed anywhere else, bordered as that scene was by the base of the most beautiful hills in one of the loveliest counties of Scotland. (Applause.)
Mr Horne then formally declared the green open, and Mr Johnston Barr, sen. proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Horne.
Mr Todd next said he had much pleasure in calling upon Mrs Horne (Mr Horne's mother) to throw the first "jack."
This lady did so, and managed to throw the "kitty" a very good length, amid applause. This over, Mrs Todd then formally presented Mrs Horne, on behalf of the club, with a silver jack, suitably inscribed, and placed on a stand.
Mr Horne made a brief reply on behalf of his mother and said that that gift was more than she or he had ever thought of. They would cherish the souvenir which had been presented to Mrs Horne, and he hoped that many "jacks" would be thrown in future years on the Fallin bowling green.
On the invitation of Mr Johnston Barr, Mrs Todd then threw the first bowl, which was also a good length, and she was then presented with a silver "jack" by Mr Provan, the contractor for the green.
Mr Todd replied for his wife. The next part of the ceremony was the presenting of two silver cups and a set of gold badges to the club. The first cup was handed over by Mr Thallon, on behalf of Mr Buchers, Leith, and is for the single-banded championship; whilst the second trophy was presented by Dr Laidlaw, Stirling, and it will be played for by rinks. The Doctor also intimated that he would give a set of gold badges, to go to the members of the winning rink.
Mr Todd returned thanks to the donors of the cup, and said these gifts would give every bowler in the green a chance of going in and winning something which he would look upon with regard in after years.
It may be here stated that the club has equipped itself with bowls, but a gift was made to it of several mounted bowls from other gentlemen in the district.
In concluding the proceedings, Mr Todd said that the green had been made and opened practically without there being a penny of debt on it, but the ladies thought they would like to assist in regard to the raising of the funds for a bowlhouse, and they had accordingly arranged to have a sale of work that afternoon in the recreation hall. The club had got on extra well so far through the aid of outside friends and subscriptions, and if the ladies did as well that afternoon everybody would be highly satisfied.
Match Results
A match then took place between teams selected by the President and Vice-President of the Club. Six rinks took part, and the result was as follows:-
| President |
Score |
Vice-President |
Score |
| D. Todd |
10 |
J. Barr, Sen. |
19 |
| R. Wallace |
13 |
J. Barr, Jnr. |
11 |
| H. Barr |
16 |
J. Robertson |
9 |
| A. Campbell |
12 |
W. Minto |
17 |
| Mr Smith |
18 |
W. Gibb |
8 |
| Thos Muir |
10 |
W. Campbell |
13 |
| Total |
79 |
|
77 |
Sale of Work
Whilst the enthusiastic bowlers then went to engage in a game between sides captained by the President and Vice-President, a large section of the company proceeded to the Hall, where Mr Horne opened the sale of work.
He said that having had the benefit of seeing the green he was in a very fortunate position of being able to recommend the sale of work to everybody in the room. If people were to have bowling greens they had to pay for them. That was, unfortunately, the way of the world, and it was therefore necessary to raise the funds to provide this means of recreation in the district. It was a somewhat extraordinary result of human nature that they could never get so much from subscriptions as in the way of work, and that if they started a sale of work, especially amongst ladies, they could raise far more money than they could from subscriptions from the pockets of gentlemen. (Laughter)
The ladies of Fallin believed it would be for the good of their husbands and families that this green should exist where it did and he was quite certain that every married woman expected her "man" to come home in the evening with the sweetest possible temper, and never to say a hard word-(laughter)-which would be a very good results of the establishment of the green in the district. (More laughter.) As they all knew every bowl had its bias, and the great success in bowling was only to be done by rolling up the bowl to the jack with the proper bias. He hoped that everybody present had got a strong bias in favour of the things they saw before them and the result would be that most of the debt, if not the whole of it, would to a large extent be wiped of by the evening. (Applause.) He then declared the sale open. The sale was a great success, and £85 was realised.
Stallholders
- No. 1 - Mrs. Todd and Mrs D. McNaughton
- No. 2 - Mrs McPhee and Miss Christie
- No. 3 - Miss C. Kerr and Miss M. Barr
- No. 4 - Mrs W. Mitchell and Mrs J. Barr, Jr.
- No. 5 - Mrs D. Blyth and Miss Weir
- Fruit and Flower stall - Miss M. Kerr, Miss Sedie Todd and Miss I. MPhee
- Tea room - Mrs P. Barr, Mrs A Penman, and Mrs A. Campbell
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