Determined to continue their efforts in making the venue he and wife Colleen have turned into a national treasure and showpiece for their sport, Broadbeach Bowls Club boss Barry Gilbert was forced to venture outside the square. Their amazing venue needed to
replace its well-worn 15-year-old greenside sunshades after hosting April’s hugely successful Commonwealth Games.
In the back of his mind, Barry knew what he wanted. ‘I was keen for a beachy/wave look to fit in with the coastline which is so close to the club and very much part of what we have always sought to achieve. We knew we needed to have some of the shades designed to be retractable to allow the sun on the green and placed in a way that they would not block viewing from the clubhouse.’
‘We knew all along that after the Commonwealth Games we were going to have to replace and upgrade. ‘It was something we had planned to do ourselves, but we approached the Gold Coast City Council who agreed to come on board as part of the agreement we had with GOLDOC to return the club to the same state it was before the Games.
‘The council, understandably, wanted three quotes. They all came back pretty much the same, but one stood out.’
Enter Dave Furneaux from Gold Coast-based Shadex Industries. ‘We were invited to quote on March 26, but we could not really access the site until May 4. We were very aware of what was coming up at Broadbeach and how this project would have a very tight time frame.’
Once the contract was signed Furneaux employed extra staff and immediately went to it.
‘It was the biggest job we have ever undertaken in perimeter shading and a real challenge.
The shade structure had to be not just pretty to look at, they had to be functional and long-lasting. These shades are Australian design engineered and certified, and the fabric chosen; Coolshade from Ricky Richards has a high UV rating of 94%, and the entire project comes with a Shadex Industry-leading seven-year shade warranty. ‘With shade fabric, black has the highest rating at 96% while other colours are as low as 90%. We wanted to ensure as high a rating as possible given the sunny conditions on the Gold Coast,’ said Furneaux.
They are in a position to understand such conditions given their factory is a mere 10km from
Broadbeach. Furneaux, English-born but living in Australia ‘for most of my life’ apart from a time in Christchurch, New Zealand, has never played bowls but has owned Shadex Industries since 2001, using his engineering background to good effect and improving the shade design and longevity.
Unlike other designs, the whole lot of these shades here can be taken away with nothing left protruding out of the ground – a safety and aesthetic feature of the design – to be easily reinstalled. ‘All the posts, baseplates, ground plates, bolts and welds are stainless steel. The frames are each primed and undercoated prior to powder-coating in gloss bright white. “All the structures and fabrics were specifically designed for superior sun protection and longevity,’ said Furneaux.
To produce something both functional and easy to look at, a total of 102 canopies using 124 posts were installed by Shadex, who worked closely with Tim of Edge Consulting Engineers, Rick from Aspect Awnings and Russell at Coastal Powder Coating to produce the shade canopies on time.
‘Everybody is impressed with what we were able to come up with in the timeframe. ‘Without doubt, we are very proud of this project and it is a credit to my staff for the way in
which they got behind it all making sure we met the deadline – and with a very high quality
product that exceeded our client’s expectations.’
And, as a gift from Shadex to the club in of respect for the Gilberts’ achievements, the rampant bull logo of the Broadbeach Bulls has been laser cut into the gusset of each of the centre piece Riviera shades.