We had an opportunity to catch up with Kevin Smith and find out more about his work with our community. Kevin started playing bowls at the age of 17 after watching his brother pick up a NZ title, and is still playing 50 years later. He has had a successful bowls career in his own right having claimed numerous titles around New Zealand, but over the past 15 years Kevin has been using his talents to enable members of the Blind community to play too.
The award of ‘coach of the year’ apparently came out of the blue for him, he was awarded canterbury coach of the year 3 months ago, and then his talents and commitment got the attention of Lawn Bowls NZ who have also recognised Kevin and his work. “I still have no idea who nominated me, but I’m very humbled by it.”
Kevin found his calling around 15 years ago at Browns Bay club. Greg who is blind turned up at the club asking if he could play and was initially turned down due to the club not thinking they could cater for his needs, Kevin heard about it, and that very weekend put on a social practice for Greg. The rest is history, and they are now the very best of friends with him competing in the B1 category for bowls. “Greg is the most remarkable human, and truly one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met, he never does the ‘poor me’ and really gets on with life, as all of the blind community tend to do”. Since that moment 15 years ago, Kevin is now heavily involved with championing Blind Bowls alongside his daily work in mental health, and currently holds the position of Secretary at the NZ Blind Bowls association, and also holds a position at Lawn Bowls NZ as their Para bowls officer, which works with physically disabled, deaf, deafblind, visual impairments, intellectual disabilities and mental health.
“Bowls is a great sport as absolutely everyone can play. The VI community is a great example of that because you can play against absolutely anyone, and from time to time you can also beat anybody with a little support. I love that it really makes a difference in people’s lives, and they feel great about themselves, as it’s something they can do that they didn’t think they could do. We need to get so many more people playing, and really get the word out there which is one our biggest challenges.”
If you are thinking about trying Lawn Bowls and unsure where to start, Kevin would love to hear from you. If you approach a club directly, they sometimes might be uncertain at first, you need local heroes, and friendly faces to make all welcome. His networks span all over New Zealand and can coordinate and facilitate you getting into a club where you feel safe and welcomed.
The NZ Blind Bowlers motto is “don’t let what you can’t do, stop you from doing what you can”. Get in touch with Kevin and start a new hobby and meet new friends.
Ph: 022 528 0954.
