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LAWN BOWLS legend Ken Gloster can add another honour to a long list of achievements: an Order of Australia medal.
"It came as a bit of a shock, of course. I never thought that would happen," he said.
The Bendigo East Bowling Club member hardly misses a game.
Mr Gloster began his association with the sport in 1953 up in the Mallee and was inaugural president of home town Underbool's club in 1955.
He is in his 50th year at Bendigo East Bowling Club, where he is a life member and where he has served as a committee member, president, vice-president, pennant selector and registered umpire.
He has also served as treasurer and executive member of the Bendigo Bowls Division, among other roles.
"I'm over 90 but I still play competitively, three times a week. I played yesterday (Wednesday June 5) and I'll be playing tomorrow," Mr Gloster said.
"I'll be at the club at nine o'clock and I will take the entries for our jackpot pairs, which is played in the afternoon. I will do the draw - I've been doing that for 20 years," he said.
The game had changed in his time, with more young people taking up the sport in recent years.
"That's the beauty of bowls. All ages can play it and everyone gets on so well," Mr Gloster said.
The biggest changes were to strategies and equipment, he said.
"As the bowls have got narrower its become more aggressive game, with the result that everyone had to change their ditches ... so that when the bowl was belted into the ditch it went straight in and did not come back up the green again," Mr Gloster said.
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