Vale Bill Sutcliffe

Earlier this year, Denistone Sports Club were saddened to hear of the deaths, within a month of each other, of club stalwarts, Bill and Margaret Sutcliffe.

Both were life members of our club. Both had spent many years as successful bowls players, club administrators and as significant volunteers to the wider bowling community.

Bill joined Denistone Sports club in 1970, Margaret in 1985.

They both had many accomplishments on the green.

Margaret won the Club Singles eight times and the District Singles twice. In total she won 43 club championships at Denistone and eight district titles. Margaret was a member of six winning District Pennant sides.

Bill was runner up twice in the Major Singles. This at a time when the Denistone Men’s Club had great depth in playing strength. He was a member of numerous other winning club championship teams, including winning the club fours five years out of six. Bill played in two winning State Pennant Teams.
Margaret and Bill gave great service with their membership of both Bowling Committees and as Directors of the Licenced Club.

Margaret was the District Women’s Bowls President from 2004 to 2007. She also served on the Denistone Women’s Bowls Committee in the positions of Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Delegate, Selector and
Committee member over many years. Margaret as well, was a Director of the Denistone Bowling Club in 1990 and 1991. Margaret was the Women’s Patron from 2019 to 2022.

Bill served as President of the Men’s Bowling Club. He also served in every position on the Men’s Bowling Committee; Secretary, Treasurer, Selector and Committee member. As a selector, Bill spent time meticulously compiling statistics on all teams so that accurate and quantifiable information was available, in this most difficult and demanding position.

Over the last few years Bill acted as the Side Manager for the Grade 3 team, a task for which all members of that team should be most grateful.

As a club administrator, Bill shone. Over time, he took on all roles, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Club Director. His professional experience was exceptional and the club benefitted greatly from his contribution.

Bill was integral in the amalgamation of Denistone and Carlingford clubs and took on the role as a Director of the Amalgamated Club. We all have Bill to thank for the ongoing viability of the Denistone Sports Club.

Time spent examining the Honour Boards at Denistone will give the reader a fuller understanding of the monumental contribution to our club given by both Bill and Margaret Sutcliffe.

As well as being tireless workers for our Bowling Club, the contribution as volunteers to Lawn Bowls, from this couple, spread into the wider bowling community. Margaret was a Level 2 Umpire of renown throughout the State. She trained many umpires over the years and led the Umpires Discussion Group. She umpired Denistone Men’s Pennants for almost twenty years as well umpiring for the District and in State events. Margaret was always correct in her behaviour and in her reading of the rules of bowls. She may have appeared stern, but underneath she was fun, witty and kind.

Bill worked industriously for the Zone. He was a Zone selector until the elections this year, attending meetings despite his poor health. Bill’s work with Zone 10 Juniors was extremely important. He worked tirelessly, travelled extensively and worked hard to increase and maintain the numbers. He was instrumental in getting a very young Jack McShane into the academy and he continued to advise Jack and his family on his bowls future over the years. The fruits of Bill’s work with Jack and the regard that Jack, as a typical academy junior, was the fact that Jack had won the Zone 10 Singles just before attending Bill’s funeral.

Bill and Margaret Sutcliffe were a wonderful couple. They were lifelong friends to many in our Bowling Club and the wider Bowling Community.

We all owe them a great deal of gratitude for their service.

They will be greatly missed.