By David Nagel
Marion Stevens arrived in Australia in May 1973 – a month short of her 30th birthday – with a set of English wooden bowls part of her limited possessions.
It’s remarkable to think that almost 50 years later, the now Cardinia Waters resident – a world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist – has been inducted into the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame.
Originally from Hayes, Middlesex, the daughter of a bricklayer lived an ordinary childhood before moving to the country, Yately, near the Sandhurst Military Academy.
It was there she met her future husband Bryan, who worked in a factory before joining Marion’s dad on the trowel.
Bryan also worked at his brother’s coal yard, living attached to the grounds that provided much-needed resources for people when the big winter hit in 1962/63.
“People would line up down the street, with a pram, a bag, whatever they could carry coal in, there was always people there, and it wasn’t normal for kids,” Marion explained.
“The rest of the family was settled, but we had young kids (daughters Julie and Debbie) and wanted to do something different…we said ‘let’s go to Australia’.
“Friends picked us up at the airport and within two weeks of arriving we had bought a car, put a deposit on a house, found somewhere to rent, got some furniture together, and we’ve called Australia home ever since, we’ve never been homesick once.”
Bryan, Marion and the two kids lived in Keysborough, their house within a stone’s throw of the now Parkmore Shopping Centre with the Keysborough Bowling Club on the other side of Cheltenham Road.
“We just walked in one day and sat on a seat, it was the weekend and they were playing pennant, a member of the club came over and asked if we were with the visiting team,” Marion recalled.
“He chatted to us a bit more and then called the secretary over and said ‘get these people a nomination form’.
“We had nothing, a set of wooden bowls – that were illegal in Australia anyway – no uniform, and a little knowledge of bowls from some loose and relaxed games in England.
“But we were made so welcome at Keysborough, they were some of the happiest days, our kids were made welcome and the bowls club, and our neighbours, became our family.”
Marion showed natural talent from the outset, winning the first of a staggering 19 club championships in 1976.
“The people at Keysborough pushed me, I didn’t think I was good enough to go into state singles,” she said.
“The first year I got beaten in the first round, the next year I won two rounds and the third year went to finals.
“I won the club championship and then the State Champion of Champions.
“When that happened, I got invited to trial for state teams.
“My first trial was at Karingal, in a howling wind, so I took Bryan’s bowls which were heavier than mine, bowled well, got selected, and was a constant member of the state team for 19 years.
“I was selected for 20, but had laryngitis one year.”
Marion wasn’t fully prepared for her first taste of representing Victoria.
“It’s a whole lot of emotions, you’re nervous, you’re excited, the adrenaline gets going, it’s a massive step up,” she said.
“I would love to have played now, where men and women are virtually equal, because ladies club bowls back then was nothing like state bowls.
“If we could play against the men, like they do today, we would have been more prepared for the step up.
“But nerves are good, they keep you on your toes and get you thinking about playing bowls.”
Being a bricklayer Bryan always had grander plans, with the family moving from Keysborough to Rowville, then to Berwick, before settling 12 years ago at the Cardinia Waters village in Pakenham.
Those moves corresponded with Marion’s club career, with stints at Keysborough, Mitcham, Berwick, Dandenong Club and now at Cardinia Waters.
The elevation from club level, through state, to international bowls came in 1988 for Marion.
After a successful event with Victoria, she was selected to represent Australia in the Bicentennial International Tournament at Tweed Heads, winning gold in the Triples and silver in the Fours.
It was then off to Auckland for the 1988 World Championships, and what Marion considers her greatest achievement, winning gold in the Triples and repeating the dose in the Fours.
“In the Triples we were a long way behind against England,” Marion reflected.
“I played lead, against Norma Shaw, the English champion, which was quite daunting in itself.
“I think we were 10 shots behind with six ends to play.
“It wasn’t looking good for us, and then Norma Shaw rolled the jack into the ditch.
“I rolled a shorter end and that was our opportunity to pounce.
“Gradually we pegged it back and you could tell by their body language that they weren’t comfortable with it.
“The scores were close to level coming to the last end.
“I rolled the jack, but left my first bowl probably four or five feet short (grimaces).
“I put my next one six inches from the jack, and the nearest anyone came to shifting it was our second, who bowled it a little bit heavy and narrow and it just missed my bowl.
“That’s how it stayed…I held the shot that won the game and the gold medal.
“It’s all about the team, but to play my role was very satisfying.”
Marion then returned to Auckland in 1990, winning gold in the Fours at a tense Commonwealth Games.
“We played New Zealand in the final and Daphne Shaw was in our team, a beautiful lady, beautiful bowler, and we held the winning shot,” Marion said.
“But New Zealand killed it and we had to play the last end again…my legs were actually shaking.
“I’ve never had it happen before…it was that tense.
“Daphne had the caravan park in Lake Cathie at the time and she turned to me and said, ‘I’d rather be at home cleaning toilets than watching this bowl come down’ (laughs).
“I thought that was a very funny thing to say, but that’s how tense it was.”
Marion Stevens has achieved so much in the game of bowls, being a state and national selector and is still playing pennant bowls for Cardinia Waters on weekends.
But her induction to the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame caught her a little off guard.
“Bryan rang me and said Bowls Australia are looking for you, and I haven’t had anything to do with them for 20 years,” Marion said excitedly.
“They asked me on the phone if I would accept induction into the Hall of Fame.
“I said, wow, that’s wonderful.
“It was a wonderful night, one that I will never forget, meeting people that I haven’t seen for 20 years.
“I was dreading making a speech, but I spoke about the game and how great it is and how much the game had changed.
“It’s evolved, and I’ve loved every minute of it.
“Everything has to evolve to survive.”
Marion said things had now started to sink in since her induction on the Gold Coast earlier this month.
She also, typically, but inaccurately, downplayed her stature in the game.
“Bryan printed out the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame list and I’ve played with or against probably 75-percent of them,” Marion said.
“It’s not until you look at something like that that you realise how special it is.
“I know it’s happened, but there is still a bit of disbelief.
“It’s a little bit dream like because in many ways I think I’ve been quite insignificant to other people in bowls.
“I’ve just plodded along, competing well, not a singles player or skip who get most of the kudos.
“I’ve just plodded along and done the best I can and been part of many successful teams.”
Next week we speak to Bowls Australia’s 2022 Volunteer of the Year – Eric Sydenham from Narre Warren.
