Laidley Bowls Club hosted Lodge Argyle’s 2024 Charity Bowls Day on Sunday, 5 May, where locals gathered to support the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation.
The charity was founded in 2015, three years after Mrs Baden-Clay was murdered by her husband, with the aim to create a Queensland community that acknowledges the prevalence of domestic and family violence.
Foundation Chair Vanessa Fowler OAM had her first game of bowls ever on Sunday with the club.
“We were very excited and honoured to be the charity of choice for the Laidley Bowls Club today,” Fowler said.
“Our thanks go to the Argyle Lodge, and in particular to Peter Hooper who has organised the day.
“We have connection with Peter through the Lodge, through my husband.
“Every opportunity we can get to bring awareness into the community about the impacts of family and domestic violence is something that we embrace, so that we can let people know we are working behind the scenes to ensure we prevent the abuse within the community.
“It’s great to see everybody here with yellow flowers and ribbons on their shirts, showing their support of the foundation.”
Lodge Argyle treasurer Peter Hooper said the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation was one of many charities supported by the Lodge and the Hand Heart Pocket Foundation, which matches donations dollar for dollar.
“The Argyle Lodge has over the years found deductible gift recipient charities to have bowls days for,” Hooper said.
“They’re a very easy, successful and popular way of raising money for charities, and today is no exception.
“We’re very fortunate that we’ve got such a good group of people here to play.”
Previous organisations and charities supported include the Laidley Hospital, a charity appeal for the drought out west, another domestic violence group, and Bootstraps in Gatton.
Fowler said it was great to bring awareness to the Laidley community.
“The funds are also very welcomed, because all the money raised goes towards us developing programs and resources to educate the community around the signs of coercive control,” she said.
“Coercive control is now what we know as that pattern of behaviour that happens behind closed doors.
“It’s the unseen side of domestic violence.”
