“I started here in 1972,” says Orange City Bowling Club’s long-serving greenkeeper, Mark Byrnes, who has finally decided to hang up the tools after a career spanning five decades.

“It was 50 years and seven months actually, but who's counting?” says Mark, who remembers interviewing for the apprentice job at the club upon finishing Year 10 at the former De La Salle College.

“They said, ‘yes’, but [the current apprentice] was not leaving until November. So, I went back to school for x amount of months, then finished school on the 31st of October and started here on the first of November, 1972. I finished school on Wednesday and was here on Thursday,” recalls Mark.

“I did my apprenticeship here, then became an assistant here and then, obviously, I got the greenkeeper's job here…. A lot of the bowlers thought I was a bit young, but we had a president by the name of Dave Brown, who thought, ‘Well, give him a go. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn't work out.’ And 50 years later, it worked out!”

Over these past 50 years, Mark has seen plenty of changes at the club and on the greens themselves.

“I think I've trained… I think it's about 11 apprentices — and 11 secretary managers!” he adds.

“But the club’s been very good to me. I've always got on well with committees and presidents... It has been good in the last 20 years, the presidents and the committee would come out and say, ‘Mark, is there anything you need?’ They wouldn't say, ‘Mark, do that, do that…’

“And we've done a lot of changes out here. Changed a lot of grasses over, different varieties from bench to cooches to Tifs and finally to the artificial… They've spent money out here!”

The money spent and Mark’s efforts have certainly been appreciated by hundreds, if not thousands, of bowlers over the years.

“I've had a very good career here. It's been very good,” says Mark, who just felt now was the right time to retire.

“I think you just know. I'll be 68 next month, so it's just time to move on. I've had my time here. I've got five grandchildren and my wife and two boys. It was time,” he says.

“Greenkeeping, it's seven days a week. A lot of people don't realise that you're here seven days a week and you're doing 45-50 hours a week and seven days and you don't get your full run of holidays.” 

Since finishing up at the Club four weeks ago, Mark has been enjoying his time away from the greens.

While he has no immediate plans, Mark is very sure of what he won’t be doing with his retirement.

“I won't be taking up golf and I won't be taking up bowls,” he says with conviction. “I'll just stick to my bikes.”

Mark does have a few travel destinations in mind and strangely there seems to be a “grass” theme...

“I'd like to go to Japan for the gardens. I'd like to go back to New Zealand and over to England… maybe for some sporting events over there: The Ashes, I'd like to go to Wimbledon and also I’d like to go to Augusta.”

Enjoy your retirement. Mark!