Doug, 95, just keeps bowling them over

At 95, Coastal Waters aged care resident Doug Logan has been playing lawn bowls for almost 50 years and is a legend of the local green.

He picked up his love of the sport after being introduced to it by his brothers in his late 40s when living at Summerland Point.

What started as a hobby fast became a passion and his name has featured on competition lists over five decades.

“Last year I just thought I wouldn’t do competition bowls anymore; I’ll just stick to social. I go to the local Husky Bowling Club which isn’t far from here,” he said.

“A couple of years before I was with a chap, and we won the major minors together. I’ve won that twice at Husky.”

“Now I go down every Wednesday to play - I’m still driving, and I’m fit as you can be!”

The Shoalhaven local of three years says to anyone who thinks that bowls is just an ‘old man’s game’ - it isn’t, and his ongoing family connections provide the evidence.

“My son-in-law coaches bowls and he has coached a couple of young 16-year-olds who will be playing for Australia,” he said.

“It’s not a game where you just put a bowl down, you have to understand what the grass is like, which way the wind is blowing and how fast the green is.

“It’s similar to golf I guess, as you need to know about the elements. It sounds silly but that’s the way it works and it’s a complicated game.”

Doug said the Coastal Waters lifestyle means he has been able to continue pursuing his hobbies and living an independent, active lifestyle.

“There are very supportive here, they look after everybody,” he said.

“It’s fantastic. I come and go as I please and I can’t speak highly enough of the place. There is something on every day.”