The Yarra Glen Bowls Club has rallied around one of its own in a moment of need following the fires in Longwood last week.
Matthew Creighton, known affectionately at the club as ‘Athlete’, is currently hosting his parents, Evelyn and Davi,d who lost their home in Gobur near Yarck, and the club hosted a fundraiser dinner on Thursday 15 January to support the family.
Yarra Glen Bowls Club director Troy Stafford said it’s probably moments like last week that should put things into perspective for us.
“Where we realise what’s really important… there’s a greater good and a greater part to life, that’s what brings us here tonight and shows what sort of community we have,” he said.
“I think most of us associated with the bowling club understand our community, the Yarra Glen Bowls Club community, and how strong it is, but the bowls community as a whole as well in times of hardship.
“We really understand what being part of a community is all about, and this is a testament to it.”
One of the club’s favourite sons, Mr Creighton has played across the Yarra Valley and Eastern Ranges region for over 20 years, won many club championships, and was a key part of Yarra Glens’ years in the Premier League.
Mr Creighton said his family has lived up that way for pretty much all their lives.
“Mum and Dad have lived in the community for 50 plus years, they started off at Rubicon and then moved into Alexandra once they had the kids and then once the kids moved on, my brother bought the Yarck pub and they were out there for seven years,” he said.
“It was a good little life, a good little spot, it wasn’t a whole lot and there wasn’t a whole lot to do but they made it home.”
At the fundraiser, around $5000 was donated through a variety of meal donations, raffles,
and some interesting bowls competitions on the green. The ‘Spida Man’ competition alone yielded a $1000 donation from the local RACV representative.
Mr Stafford said there was support that came from the greater bowls community for the Creighton family.
“Big thanks to Mitcham Bowls Club who have donated $200 which is absolutely fantastic, but don’t go soft on them because we still play them and we still want to beat them, in 10 minutes we can hate them again,” he said.
“And to Lilydale, who are donating all their green fees from next weekend’s pennant, which is actually $800.”
The Croydon Bowls Club also supported the fundraiser, as well as generous donations from a number of local businesses, including Bakers Delight Chirnside Park, Henselite, Yarra Glen IGA and local retail shops as well.
Mr Creighton said he and his brothers at least found it funny that the fires meant his parents finally listened to their boys.
“I rang them and said I think you need to go, and they’re like ‘Yeah nah, we’ll just see how it goes’ and then I rang them about two hours later, I rang them at ten o’clock and I rang them at twelve o’clock,” he said.
“Between that timeframe, they’d gone from sitting on the balcony watching everything going on to being in Yea, so it was good that they finally listened.
“They’re living with me at the moment…they’re doing fine, but they couldn’t make it tonight, but I’m going to try them really hard to get them to come next Saturday night.”
