Roma Dunn reflects on 2006 Commonwealth Games

by Bowls Australia on September 2, 2020

The memories from the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games sit fondly in the archives of Australian sport.

A wonderful spectacle that delivered many iconic moments and only enhanced the city’s reputation as a beacon for world-class events.

For Roma Dunn, the Games were somewhat of a box of all-sorts, in that they delivered a number of career highlights, but also, marked her final appearance in the green and gold.

Teaming up with Noi Tucker and Ceri Ann Davies in the triples, the Australians came away with a silver medal, with Malaysia proving too slick in the decider, despite an encouraging start by the home team in front of raucous support at the Darebin International Sports Centre.

In speaking with Clive Adams for Bowls Australia’s ‘Legends Under Lights’ series, Dunn reflected on the buzz of the Melbourne Games on a personal note, where she was the self-proclaimed “old duck” of the athlete’s contingent.

“The crowds there were tremendous; everyone was decked out in their coloured outfits and face-paint. There was a great atmosphere there [in Melbourne],” Dunn said.

“The first set, we were in it; I don’t know what happened in the second set [3-14], but it just didn’t happen for us.

“I was getting a lot of coverage over there because had I won gold, I would have been the oldest woman [at 63-years-old] playing for Australia to win a [Commonwealth Games] gold medal.”

At the time, that honour belonged to fellow bowler Dorothy Roche, who was 61 years and 10 months when she won gold in the fours at Auckland in 1990.

Of course, the record now belongs to another bowler, in Ken Hanson, who was 68-years-old when he won gold in the B6/B7/B8 triples during the most recent Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Watch Roma Dunn’s full interview below, as part of our ‘Legends Under Lights’ series, proudly presented by Legacy Sport Lighting.

The “old duck” tag also resulted in some amusing experiences for Dunn in the athletes’ village, where she would be mistaken for a volunteer or coach.

However, the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame member has no regrets from her experiences in Melbourne, which marked the end of a decorated international career for the Australian Jackaroos.

“You’ve got to be happy with it when the dust settles,” she said.

“If you win gold, they print a stamp with your face on it; if you win silver, you have to buy your stamp!”

“There are so many things that go with a gold medal that don’t go with a silver medal.

“But it’s still something to be proud of.”

The 77-year-old, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of five, now lives the quiet life in Mandurah on the southwest coast of Western Australia and remains as competitive as ever on the green for her beloved Dudley Park.