Almost 12 months after Bangalow’s bowling club closed its doors, the community’s efforts to understand what happened have reached the NSW Supreme Court, writes Sally Schofield.

For almost a year, Bangalow has been without one of its most familiar gathering places – the much-loved Third Place, known affectionately as The Bowlo. The bowling greens have fallen quiet, the club’s social life has been interrupted and the future of a community institution remains uncertain.

But the people campaigning to bring back the Bowlo have been anything but quiet.

After amalgamating with  North Sydney Leagues’ Club Ltd (Norths) in February 2023, following multi-million dollar promises of renovations and repairs, the club was abruptly closed in October 2025. Since then, the Save Bangalow Bowlo campaign has organised public meetings, pursued discussions, rallied supporters and raised funds in an effort to secure the club’s future.

Now, as the first anniversary of the closure approaches, that campaign has reached a significant new stage.

On 15 October 2026, Bangalow Bowlo member Greg Nash filed a summons in the Supreme Court of New South Wales seeking preliminary discovery orders against Norths. If granted, the orders would require Norths to provide documents they say they relied on when deciding the close the club.

Greg is pursuing the application in his individual capacity, with the support of the Save Bangalow Bowlo Steering Committee, and backed by donations from the community.

The proceedings are not an application to reopen the club. Rather, they seek information that may help Greg determine whether there are grounds to commence further legal action.

“This application will give me what I need to know if I am to make a decision to sue or not sue Norths,” Greg says.

More than a bowling club

For Bangalow, the loss of the Bowlo has meant considerably more than the closure of a sporting facility.

The club has long provided a place for people to gather, socialise and participate in community life. Its role has extended beyond lawn bowls, providing a familiar and accessible meeting place for people of different ages and interests.

That sense of community ownership, and the desire to preserve the club’s sporting, social and cultural functions, has been central to the Save Bangalow Bowlo campaign.

Over the past year, supporters have explored possible pathways to returning the club to community ownership, while seeking greater clarity about the circumstances of its closure. Of particular interest are the unfulfilled obligations of Norths, which were first proffered in a partnership prospectus, circulated prior to a membership vote,  and later written into a Memorandum of Understanding.

The campaign has attracted considerable public and financial support. Across successive fundraising efforts, close to $200,000 has been donated, although an initial fundraising campaign was subsequently refunded when the proposed pathway to community ownership changed.

A new Fighting Fund was established to meet legal advice and associated campaign costs. It is administered through the Bangalow Lions Club, with expenditure subject to approval processes involving both the Lions Club Executive and the Save Bangalow Bowlo Steering Committee.

The fundraising has been accompanied by public meetings and a recent rally at the Bangalow Showground, where supporters again demonstrated their desire to see the club returned to community ownership.

The search for information

While the community campaign has continued, efforts to obtain documents and explanations from Norths have also been underway.

According to the media release announcing the proceedings, Greg’s legal representatives have written to Norths multiple times since 11 June 2026 seeking documents, further explanations of decisions affecting the Bowlo and opportunities for discussions with club members and community representatives.

The Supreme Court application now seeks access to documents that may clarify whether there is a legal basis for further proceedings.

Preliminary discovery is a process available to someone who needs particular information to determine whether they may have grounds to bring a substantive legal claim.

It is an important distinction. The current proceedings do not establish that Norths has breached any legal obligation, nor has the court made findings about its management of the club.

For Greg, taking the matter to court also involves personal and financial considerations.

“None of this is inexpensive and of course there’s risk involved, especially for myself.”

The Save Bangalow Bowlo Steering Committee supports his application, while continuing its broader efforts to secure a sustainable future for the club.

What happens now?

The immediate question is whether the Supreme Court will grant the preliminary discovery orders sought by Greg.

If successful, the application could provide documents relevant to assessing whether further legal proceedings are warranted. It would not, by itself, resolve the question of the Bowlo’s future.

For the Bangalow community, the approaching anniversary is a reminder of how long the club has been closed and how much effort has gone into trying to find a way forward.

There have been public meetings, negotiations, fundraising campaigns, a rally and now an application to the state’s highest court.

Throughout that time, the underlying questions have remained: what circumstances led to the closure, what obligations exist following the amalgamation and what future is possible for the club?

Almost a year on, those questions remain central to the campaign.

And for a town that has spent 12 months without its Bowlo, the answers matter.

The application is before the NSW Supreme Court. No determination has been made.

Further information: bringbackthebowlo.com or Save Bangalow Bowlo on Facebook.

To donate to the legal fight, visit gofundme.com/f/help-fund-a-fair-outcome-for-the-bowlo

To buy raffle tickets and support the cause, visit rafflelink.com/r/save-bangalow-bowlo/monster-raffle

 

Featured image: Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures