Shepparton Golf's John Stokes was recently inducted into the Goulburn Murray Bowls Region Hall of Fame.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
If there was a Mt Rushmore of bowls in the Goulburn Murray region, Brian Nisbet and John Stokes would be on it.
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Carved into the local landscape, chiselling away in competition and advocating the game as best they can, Stokes and Nisbet have been figureheads of the sport for decades.
So it’s only fair they had their day in the sun.
Recently, Goulburn Murray Bowls Region inducted them into its Hall of Fame, cementing them as bona fide stalwarts of the game within the Goulburn Valley and Murray districts.
The presentation on May 4 celebrated Nisbet and Stokes’ contribution, yet for the latter, it was nothing short of an unexpected, albeit welcome, surprise.
“I was supposed to be in Canberra, so I wasn’t actually there — a few people rang me and said congratulations. I go ‘for what?’,” Stokes said.
“That’s how I found out that’s what it was about.
“It’s a great honour to be in that because there’s some really good bowlers in the (Hall of Fame).”
Stokes’ story started at Stanhope, the place where his palm first felt a bowl.
A tide of singles and pairs club championships followed, as well as GV singles titles, Champion of Champions gongs from singles through to fours and a mountain of division one premierships.
It seemed wherever Stokes went, success followed.
“Luckily enough, my first year at Stanhope we won the premiership, first year at Mooroopna we won the premiership and first year at Shepparton Golf we won a premiership — it was probably all me,” he said with a cheeky laugh.
Stokes’ humour is definitely matched by his ability.
And on occasion, both have carried him through to the big time.
He ranks his involvement in Shepparton Golf’s Champion of State Pennant victory in 2019, beating Bendigo East 58-45, as his crowning achievement on the greens.
Stokes has also occupied roles on GV match committees and has served as a selector, much like his fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Nisbet.
The East Shepparton mainstay began playing bowls in 1991 at Tungamah, rolling a few down in the spare hours away from his job as a bank manager.
East Shepparton legend Brian Nisbet is a worthy inductee to the Goulburn Murray Bowls Region Hall of Fame.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Nisbet was having trouble with a different kind of bowling and soon found which one suited him better.
“I was still playing cricket, but not making any runs, so I was talked into playing pennant,” he said.
“I didn’t miss cricket at all and found pennant absorbing, the bank was closing, so I decided to make an all out effort to win the club championship which I did in 1995.
“I was transferred to Shepparton in the bank and East Shepparton had an account with my branch, so after meeting with them, I decided to play there.”
Three decades and 354 games later, Nisbet still calls himself an Eagle.
He only strayed from the nest on a few occasions throughout the past 34 years, with one-season stints at Shepparton Bowling Club, Shepparton RSL, a half-term at Shepparton Golf and an enjoyable spell down south before he rolled back into town.
“I joined Nagambie to play with the Nichols brothers, Daniel and Peter, and then Paul, their dad; and this was the most enjoyable three and a bit years of bowls that I have played,” he said.
“Nagambie treated me like I was one of them and it hurt to leave there. I was chairman of selectors and team manager of Nagambie’s div one side for three seasons.
“Due to travelling I joined Shepp Park and had two years there and changed to a bowling arm as well.
“I then rejoined my spiritual home at East and hope to remain there now.”
Nisbet said his best moments on the mat arrived alongside Daniel Nichols, finishing as runners-up in the Kyabram master pairs as well as a club pairs double at Nagambie and East Shepparton.
And while Goulburn Valley bowlers know Nisbet’s face well, they know his voice better.
He pioneered the GV Bowls Show in the 1991-92 season to cast a light on local bowls, forging bonds with several co-hosts — none quite as memorable as the late Dave Hardie.
Nisbet’s coverage has spanned from radio waves to video livestreams and more recently the After The Jack podcast, while in 2016 he got the ball rolling on the very Hall of Fame he has been inducted into.
Each year the list grows longer and stronger, paying homage to the best and brightest champions of the sport in the region.
And in 2025 there aren’t many better candidates to add than Stokes and Nisbet.
