By Karla Cloete
Edited by Imaan Moosa & Tasmiyah Randeree
Jenny Jones tells us about her lifelong passion for the sport of bowls and how she’s using her retirement to better the world.
Jenny and her bowls partner Greg Burns. Photo: Provided
Three forces have shaped 63-year-old Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Jones and her life: the sport of bowls, mentorship, and cancer. Each of these forces set the stage for the highs and lows of her 30 years in the sport.
Jones was born in Sasolburg as the youngest of six children. Throughout her life, she tried her hand at nearly every sport she could: tennis, football, softball, swimming, and squash.
She proved to be a talented athlete and received provincial colors for almost every sport she played.
Squash easily became her greatest love. She turned her talents to the sport for many years, becoming one of the top 10 players in the country.
At the age of 34, Jones was forced to abandon the sport after an unfortunate knee injury that required an operation.
Rather than going under the knife, she chose to begin playing lawn bowls — a sport she’d watched her mother play while growing up
It was an interesting sport to play. I had good mentors. My mother was an extremely good bowler in her day. Because I showed some enthusiasm there was always someone to help me.
Jones’s mother was her first mentor who encouraged her when she was just starting out. This is something Jones loves about the sport. Bowls can be a family affair and is very accessible:
The motto for bowls is ‘one sport for life,’ because you can be playing at 9 years old and still be playing at 90 years old.
Bowls players in action. Photo: Facebook
She also loves that the sport is such a great lever — all genders and ages can compete together on equal footing, permitting the greens are not too heavy.
One day you could be a champion and the next day you could get knocked out in the first round.
After her mother passed away from cancer 18 years ago, Graham Mckenzie, a well-renowned coach, took over the role of mentor in Jones’ life.
After working at Standard Bank for 38 years, she is retired and living with her sister, who is also a cancer survivor. She has dedicated her retirement to volunteering and mentoring.
She was inspired by Mckenzie to do her Coach Level 1 and 2 courses.
Jones has always loved children and says she doesn’t like grownups very much. She started off mentoring the under 19’s in Ekurhuleni Bowls after she was asked to assist.
She has mentored young people in the sport for almost 10 years.
Under 15 and under 20 players at Edenvale bowling club. Photo: Facebook
Jones says being a mentor means being a role model:
I think people can only grow in the sport when they have a mentor they respect. To me, it’s about sharing your knowledge with the kids.
Jones certainly has plenty of knowledge to pass down. She was a player for the Proteas, has played in the South African Masters, and was the second female president of Edenvale Bowling Club when the men and women’s clubs united.
She was also awarded a lifetime membership for both the Edenvale and Ekurhuleni Bowling Clubs for all she has achieved as a Proteas player.
As she has aged and evolved through the years, so has the sport. When she began playing 30 years ago, the announcement that women no longer needed to wear stockings was regarded as revolutionary.
At the time you had to wear a dress with sleeves, a full petticoat, and a brimmed hat with no jewelry nor pants. Ladies also had to kneel and if the hems of their skirts did not touch the ground, they weren’t allowed to compete.
Now the rules have significantly relaxed. Jones feels this is reflective of the sport keeping up with the times. More youth are encouraged to participate and not be put off by strict guidelines.
“It's how you get the best out of the youngsters,” she told To EmpowHER.
NERBWA women's inter-district teams and executive, 1995. Photo: Facebook
Jones has also helped to coordinate numerous bowls fundraisers for Stepping Stone Hospice.
Every year, Jones participates in a cancer shave-a-thon where she donates her hair. She feels shaving her head is a small sacrifice:
“I don’t think you can speak to anybody that hasn’t been touched [by cancer] either as a survivor or someone that has been lost [to them].”
Shavathon 2020. Photo: Facebook
Jones is an amazing example, not only of what it means to be a mentor but also of how to keep pursuing your passion and discovering new ways to make a difference no matter how old you are.
Jones and her bowls partner, Greg Burns, will be competing and representing Ekurhuleni Bowls in the Bowls South African National Mixed Pairs Championships in June 2021.
More about Jenny Jones:
Jenny is an animal lover. She volunteers with an organization called Brainy Birds, which rehabilitates parrots. She and her sister also own an African Grey named Maxi.
organization.
She spends three mornings a week working part-time as a secretary at the Catholic Women’s Leagues Adoption Society in Kensington, which facilitates adoptions of abandoned infants. She began working there after their secretary passed away suddenly due to a brain tumor and she stepped up to help out.
Jenny didn’t want to work there full-time, however, as she wanted to dedicate her retirement to volunteering.
She is fiercely dedicated to her role and time as a volunteer, as well as reading about the success stories of parents who are matched with babies.