Frank Finlay has recently thrown in the towel after spending 40 years behind the bar at the Hauraki Bowling Club.

That’s a long time. When you think about it, there’s not many things we continuously do in life for 40 years.

For starters, you have to be at least 40 years old before you’re even in the game. Frank’s 88, so he’s had ample time to persist with a number of things for 40 years or more : running his farm for more than 40 years; being married to his beloved wife Val for 51 years before she passed away 11 years ago; belonging to the Hauraki Bowling Club for 49 years; and being on the club committee for 40 years.

No doubt he can put his finger on many more ruby celebrations too.

But, his service behind the bar almost certainly rates as a record in the New Zealand bowling community – service for which the Hauraki Bowling Club is extremely grateful.

“We accepted Frank’s resignation with regret when he told us he was going to step down,” says Club President Pene Koch. “He had always been there. No one knew the club without Frank behind the bar.”

Frank’s wife Val had roped him into joining the club back in 1970.

“I was a farmer in the area, and like most farmers, quite comfortable with my own company. Val was enjoying the club, and the friendships of the other bowlers, and persuaded me to join in. I never looked back,” Frank recalls.

Before long, Frank was co-opted onto the club committee where he remained a permanent fixture for the next 40 years. On top of bar managing, he did a stint on the match committee and served as club president twice – in 1982-1984 and 1992-1994.

“I enjoyed the bar work,” says Frank, “taking care of the pipes … refilling the flagons … and changing over the taps. If we ran out of DB, I just ran what we had through the DB taps to keep everybody happy.” He also enjoyed the company of others who assisted him, such as his great mate, Ray Cox.

Frank became the first licensed bar manager at the Hauraki Bowling Club, superceding the old locker systems and ticketing systems which clumsily circumvented the licensing laws of the day. Not only did Frank work the bar, but essentially created the bar as well – tirelessly running raffles at Hauraki as well as other clubs to raise the funding to create a lounge bar in the corner of what was a bare community hall.

But Frank wasn’t just a dab hand with a nip pourer or a corkscrew.

If you gaze around the honours board-adorned walls of the Hauraki Bowling Club, you’ll see Frank’s name a lot – 24 times in fact. Recording wins in the club singles, pairs, triples and fours.

“We’ve also asked him to bowl the opening bowl of the season for the last five years,” says Pene.

Frank’s also given the Aussies a bit of Kiwi too.

“Val and I used to go over to the Sunshine Coast every year for a couple of months,” says Frank. “You’d always get some Aussie reminding us that they took no prisoners. But more often than not it was just friendly banter. They liked to give stick, and we gave it back. The Aussies are a friendly and welcoming bunch … we made great friends.”

“But they knew we were proud Kiwis, and proud members of the Hauraki Bowling Club. Val and I always wore whites … and hats with the club hatband. I’m old-school about these things. You don’t see the All Blacks playing in mufti!”

In 2000, Frank became a Life Member of the Hauraki Bowling Club. Frank is the sort of guy that doesn’t seek out honours, but the life membership was gratefully received and gratefully given.

While Frank is still a regular at the club, he has passed on the mantle of Licensed Bar Manager to the Club Treasurer, Barry O’Neil.

An incredible service to say the very least . . . in fact, it probably deserves a drink or two.

Cheers Frank.

by Rob Davis