Jim Waight, the man who coached most emerging bowlers in the region, died in early October. He was aged 91.

Mr Waight, who is a rare 800-match weekend pennant player, is best known for a leading role in establishing the Ballarat Gold Diggers junior lawn bowls representative squad about three decades ago.

To help build this, Mr Waight also helped drive the hotly contested schools pennant.

Long-time fellow bowler and Gold Diggers coach Gerry Flapper said Mr Waight had been "right up there with anybody" in his passion for developing the sport with younger players.

"In those days it was hard to get anything other than older players and juniors was about growing up and building the future of bowls with kids," Mr Flapper said.

"Those kids are now young adults playing and a lot of adults playing now were coached by Jim in juniors.

"Jim was big on etiquette and the way you behaved on the bowling green - there was no mucking about, you had to behave yourself - and there's a lot of adults playing now who could learn from those kids in how to behave."'

Mr Flapper said Mr Waight also recognised lawn bowls was another option for youngsters to play sport if they did not enjoy or fit traditional junior sports.

The now-Ballarat District Bowls Division Gold Diggers were sparked from a visiting request. A team from New South Wales requested a junior challenge, the call was put out across Ballarat and the Gold Diggers were formed.

Mr Waight told The Courier in his 800-match milestone feature that working with young players helped boost his enthusiasm for playing the game.

Social media tributes online for Mr Waight reflect on a fellow bowler who was always happy to offer a bit of advice to those he had mentored.

Most of Mr Waight's playing career was with his beloved Webbcona Bowling Club, for which he was a founding member when the club formed in 1970.

Mr Waight launched his pennant career in 1971-72 and quickly made his mark on and off the greens, rising to club president in 1976.

Six premierships are right at the top of his achievements, but Waight is also extremely proud of his two club singles titles, a pairs championship, two president's handicaps and two singles 100-up titles.

Mr Waight is also a Webbcona life member, super veteran and long-serving committee member.

He was farewelled in a funeral service on October 13.

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