WHEN the Big Freeze 12 action kicked off at the MCG on 9 June, Rye Bowls Club had its own version well underway, including a volunteer willing to take a bucket of ice over the head.
That volunteer was Peter Pearson, who accepted the icy plunge as 52 members and supporters turned out for the club’s Big Freeze fundraiser on the King’s Birthday public holiday. They raised $1,280 in entry fees, plus proceeds from the sale of Big Freeze caps, all donated to Fight MND.
Club president Bill White said it was a genuine community effort rather than a club-run fundraiser.
“We made sure that the event was about community involvement,” he said. “People paid $20 to enter the competition, and we gave out Big Freeze caps, and there were some prizes donated so all the takings went straight to the Fight MND charity.”
Members played two rounds of seven ends before gathering for a barbecue, then settled in to watch the MCG event on television. White said the community spirit on the day stood out.
“Nobody left. Everybody sat around and watched the Big Freeze on the telly all together,” he said.
White said the turnout exceeded what the club would typically see for a regular competition day.
“Forty-four people entered the comp, which was a hell of a lot more than if we just had our normal Monday comp,” he said.
With close to 200 members across social and playing categories, White said he was proud of how many had rallied behind the cause.
“People that would very, very rarely play social bowls on that day came and rallied around, which was great,” he said.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 17 June 2026
