Current men’s club president Gordon Taylor said social bowls in triples format will feature from 1.30pm with the focus being on a special trophy made and donated by Ted Madden.

Major efforts have been made to contact as many former members as possible but he hoped that anyone who hasn’t been contacted that they may see this story in the paper and come along tomorrow.

“The more people we see around the club on Saturday the better it will be,” Taylor said.

“It’s wonderful that someone like wood turner Ted Madden has been able to build this trophy and put it in a beautiful case.

“I’m sure the winners will be pleased to have their names engraved on it for the first time.

“Saturday is just the start of the celebrations.

“What we intend to do is hold a more formal and special day to celebrate our 50th birthday later on.

“We had Christmas and New Year take a lot of people away from the club leading into the anniversary date which is January 23.

“We’ve also got pennants not too far away so we are prepared to give ourselves more time to organise it.”

Taylor said from what he’d been told bowls at the club started in 1960 and it cost “100 quid” to belong.

The business men’s club started in 1956 when the first president was RG Gavel and followed by H Buckley in 1962.

“A lot of people would know the Macquarie Club as a men’s club and there was a lot of prestige attached to being a member. That was reflected in the membership fee,” Taylor said.

“Later on the Dubbo RSL Club ran the club for some 15 years but the Macquarie Club took it back over late in the 1990s.

“What I do know is the late John Morgan - whose son Bill Morgan is now playing bowls with us - was one of the original members along with people like Jim Smith, Bill Hornadge and David Jenkins.

“Now we’ve just over 100 members, but only about 35 regular players, and our bowls is for men, women and mixed all through the week.”

Taylor admitted the licensed club, currently steered by its president Earl McManus, was continuing to run but with limited resources and patronage.

“I don’t think we’re on our own there. A number of clubs are just surviving but we look to our overall club members and not just the bowlers,” Taylor said.

“The Macquarie Club has been part of the Dubbo landscape for a big number of years and it’s up to us to see it survive.”

Some of the bowls past presidents were: 1966 Syd Ottley; 1967 to 1972 Ron McGrath; 1973 John Grattan; 1975 Fred Vincent; 1976 Jack Wray; 1978 Jim Bruce; 1985 to 1989 Vern Traeger.