‘More women and girls’ important for future of bowls
This International Women’s Day (March 8, 2022), we profile some of the amazing women doing great things in bowls.
Bowls Australia Diversity and Inclusion Manager Fiona Coppin caught up with Women in Bowls Working Party member, Dr Vicki Feast.
So who is Dr Vicki Feast? I am a retired academic who spent my working life in the education sector in South Australia.
Age, if you are happy to disclose: I am 67 years old.
Where are you from? I am originally from a small country town called Glencoe in the southeast of South Australia (near Mt. Gambier). I grew up on a dairy farm helping my Father with the clean up after milking and feeding the calves. I studied at Flinders University in Adelaide from the age of 17 pursuing an economics degree so I could become a high school economics and maths teacher. In 1975, I returned to Mt. Gambier, married a local boy (Trevor Feast) and began my teaching career there. After Trevor gained a promotion, we moved permanently to Adelaide in 1982 and we have lived there since.
Tell me about your career: After leaving the public secondary school system and gaining a teaching job in an Adelaide private high school for a few years, I moved on to gain a teaching position at one of the local Universities, UniSA. I worked at UniSA for 23 years, starting as a casual tutor and over time I moved up the system in various roles until I became Dean: Teaching and Learning in the Business faculty in 1999. I finished my career as Dean: International (2007-11).
Did you spend time overseas as well? I travelled extensively overseas, mainly to Asian countries to teach and lead UniSA’s transnational programs. I believe I visited Hong Kong over 40 times and came to regard it as my second home. In my penultimate year at UniSA, Trevor and I lived in, and I worked, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since my retirement from full time work in 2011, I have worked on several consultancies for UniSA. Currently, I work part time chairing Academic Board for Adelaide Institute of Higher Education.
What was you highest achievement? My highest career achievement is probably the two UniSA Dean positions but I also gained five university qualifications culminating in a Doctor of Education. Apart from my precious immediate family, the joy of my life is my 4 year old grandson.
Hence the photo? My photograph is of the two of us, when he was a few months old. Now four, he is cheeky, loveable and lots of fun to hang out with. He has been photographed playing at our local club with the kids rubber lawn bowls and loves throwing them around but not packing them up! A champion of the future perhaps?
Looks like bowls and hairstyles run in the family, how did you get in to bowls? I started in bowls just prior to my retirement in 2011 through Night Owls (Barefoot Bowls). So, I have been bowling for about 12 years, and for the last few years have played for Toorak Burnside’s top Saturday open gender pennant side, as well as the ladies Division 2 side on Thursdays. Now in retirement, my husband and I live in our Gold Coast apartment in the winter, mostly playing bowls for fun but also playing in their very short 6-7 week pennant season. We find that Queenslanders have a very different perspective on pennants and in general prefer the club tournaments and gala days where there are no selection issues to contend with and often money prizes ‘sweeten the pot’. However, we still come back to Adelaide for the lengthy SA pennant bowls season in summer.
You have been a valuable member of the Women in Bowls Working Party, where do you see the future of bowls? The future for bowls is with the younger generation. I would like to see bowls ‘modernised’ to be more representative of the gender and cultural diversity of the general population. Shorter versions of the game, less emphasis on pennants, more fun playing options and more women and girls playing bowls are all a big part of the future.
March 8 is International Women’s Day. Help Break the Bias and learn more by clicking here.
