The Kaikorai club has had four New Zealand representatives - Ian Dickison, Duncan McConnell, Stewart McConnell and Mike Kernaghan - in its first 100 years.
The best player was Ian Dickison who reached the pinnacle of his career when he won the Commonwealth Games singles title in Edinburgh in 1986.
He also won the New Zealand singles title in 1985 and the pairs with his brother, Phil, in 1981.
Members of the Kaikorai club also won two Commonwealth Games bronze medals.
Stewart McConnell was lead in the fours in Auckland in 1990 and Mike Kernaghan won a bronze medal in the singles in Manchester in 2002.
Kernaghan backed up this on the domestic scene by winning back-to-back singles titles at the New Zealand championships in 2001 and 2002.
Kaikorai lacked competitive strength in the early 1970s but the influx of younger bowlers such as Dickison and the McConnell brothers rejuvenated the club.
Mervyn Andrews started it off by winning the Bowls Dunedin champion of champions singles in 1972 and Dickison followed this up a year later by winning the open singles.
But it was the McConnell brothers who took Dunedin bowls by storm and dominated the domestic centre events for a decade from 1975 to 1986.
They were untouchable in domestic events during this time, with Stewart winning 21 centre titles and Duncan 18.
They were backed up during this time by Ernie Andrews (12 titles), Mervyn Andrews (seven) and Bill McConnell (five).
The momentum was continued by Mike Kernaghan who won his 21st centre title in the open singles just before Christmas and Geoff Wilson (10).
Kaikorai has also done its share on the administrative side and the club has had three New Zealand presidents: William Clark (1951-52), Pierre Devereux (1975-76) and Alan Lawless (1979-80).
Devereux was also president of the New Zealand Umpires Association in 1986.
Another talented administrator in the Kaikorai club is president Pat O'Dea who has played a major role in lifting the profile of bowls in Dunedin.
He was the person who pushed through the Westpac Bowls Stadium that is the best indoor bowls facility in the country.
O'Dea was also responsible for bringing the Asia and Pacific Bowls championships to Dunedin in 1995. The event lifted the profile of bowls in the city.
A comprehensive centennial history has been written by former international Stewart McConnell.
The club had four bowlers who were club members for more than 50 years: Bill Clark, Norman Stewart, Pierre Devereux and Bill Pitches.
One hundred past and present players will celebrate the centennial of the club next weekend.
The official opening of the club was on December 23, 1911.
It had 44 members in its first year and the first president was local Kaikorai Primary School principal W.C. Allnutt.
Three of the best known foundation members were John McGregor, John Masterton and Arthur Ellis.
The guest speaker at the official centennial dinner at the Otago Yacht Club is the Bowls New Zealand president Coral Wing.
Former member Gordon Stenning is travelling from Perth to attend the celebrations.
Kaikorai centennial
Date: January 28-30.
Centennial dinner: January 29, Otago Yacht Club, 7.30pm.
Club internationals: Ian Dickison, Duncan McConnell, Stewart McConnell, Mike Kernaghan.
Commonwealth Games medallists: Ian Dickison (singles gold, 1986), Stewart McConnell (bronze medal fours, 1990), Mike Kernaghan (bronze medal singles, 2002).
NZ champions: Ian Dickison and Phil Dickison (pairs 1981), Ian Dickison (singles 1985), Mike Kernaghan (singles 2001, 2002).
