When you’re 75 years old, and have been keeping greens for almost 25 years, you’re entitled to be ‘very anti’ artificial surfaces. And frankly, expected to be. After all, you’ve lived and breathed grass, not plastic.
25 years breeds a lot of passion. And such passion can, as it has in Kenny Thickett’s case, cultivate 25 years of dedication to becoming the best of the best. And as a result being named Bowls New Zealand’s Greenkeeper of the Year for 2022.
These days, Kenny practises his keeping in Oamaru, where bowlers have over recent years always been comforted by the fact that he is available to coddle and pamper the local greens of Awamoa, Meadowbank and Temuka where he is ‘officially’ the green keeper. And even further afield in the Waitaki area, where he acts as a sort of Plunket nurse, dispensing sage advice and support to clubs struggling with the responsibilities of green care.
Over the years Kenny’s influence has even been much wider.
“I’ve pretty much been around every natural green in the South Island,” he says. “For a while there, I was the go-to guy if you wanted to have your green planed … planning equipment isn’t something that greenkeepers typically keep in their tool shed. So I got round a lot of bowling clubs. I learnt a lot about good and bad greens.”
Kenny’s greenkeeping career started off at Sumner Bowling Club, tucked into the Port Hills of Christchurch, in the late 90’s.
“I started off as Assistant Greenkeeper. I think I was the youngest greenkeeper in Canterbury at the time. Although that still wasn’t very young!”
“I was made Greenkeeper at Sumner, and then Greenkeeper at Fendalton. It was the start of a golden period of bowls events in Christchurch which included the World Champion of Champs Singles in 2005 and 2006; the Trans-Tasmans and Asia Pacifics in 2007; and the Nationals and World Bowls Championships in 2008. I was lucky to be involved.”
“Fortunately, I had great mentors. The likes of Ken Prebble, who passed away recently, Stu Buttar and Bruce Doak. I was very lucky.”
The game changed in 2010-2011 with the earthquake.
Kenny went from being a greenkeeper who ensured and assured that every blade of grass and every leaf of weed was in its place at Fendalton, to also advising on the remediation of many of Christchurch’s quake-affected greens.
“My old club at Sumner was really badly affected,” he says. “But so were other bowling clubs in the east where the quake was worst : South Brighton, Redcliffs and Mt Pleasant. Most clubs in Christchurch had some damage. There was a lot of work required to bring them up to scratch.”
But the earthquake never stopped Kenny from keeping on doing what he does best … cosseting New Zealand’s lawn bowls greens.
He’s left a trail of accolades attesting to the fact that he is the best of the best … from bowling clubs like Meadowbank, Phoenix, Awamoa, Waimate and Sumner …. from organisations like the North Otago and Canterbury Centres and the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute … and even from elite players like Gary Lawson, Andrew Curtain.
Seemingly, everyone is glowing about Kenny’s skills. And justifiably so.
And now he can add to that Bowls New Zealand’s ‘Greenkeeper of the Year’.
Well done, Kenny. Keep up the great work.
