- Melbourne bowler Bruce Hallman passed away last year
- His last will and testament had a big surprise
A Melbourne bowler caused a legal stir when he died and left his entire estate to a rival bowling club, with some club members believing the move is revenge from beyond the grave.
Bruce Hallman was a member of Melbourne’s Doncaster Bowls Club for 15 years and, passing away in 2022, left a legacy worth more than $1 million to the sport he loved.
However, Doncaster Bowls Club did not receive a penny. Instead, Bruce left everything to a rival club he had only visited once: Donvale Bowls Club.
The only time Bruce set foot in the Donvale facility was when he visited for a new membership in 2019, and the experience must have been good.
Several months later, Bruce met with a lawyer and asked him to leave his entire estate to Donvale.
“If any members have memories or knowledge of Bruce Hallman, we invite them to share them with us,” wrote bemused Donvale president Ian Bramstedt in a club newsletter.
“His positive experience and admiration for our club’s kindness and community offerings led to this generous legacy.”
Doncaster Bowls Club were “shocked” and believed there must have been a mistake, so they hired a lawyer in anticipation of a legal fight.
Bruce Hallman (pictured) was a member of Melbourne’s Doncaster Bowls Club for 15 years, but after his death Bruce left his entire estate to a rival club.
Donvale Bowls Club (pictured) received more than $1 million from Hallman, and had only set foot on the premises once.
But they were warned that it was not worth pursuing the matter further.
“We question the will to a certain extent,” Doncaster Bowling Club chief executive Trevor Dawson said. News Corporation.
But it wasn’t worth continuing.
As far as we are concerned, the matter is over. Donvale got the money and we can’t do anything about it.
Club members speculate that Bruce was unhappy with the people of Doncaster and may have changed his will as revenge.
However, Dawson disagreed with those claims.
Representatives from Doncaster Bowls Club (pictured) were shocked when they heard the news and hired a lawyer.
“There was no tension between Bruce and any of our members,” he said.
Donvale is excited about the windfall and already has plans to improve his facilities, including covering the greens with a dome for year-round play and installing lights for night games.
“We are going to be one of the few clubs without slot machines that will have this type of facility,” said president Ian Bramstedt.
“A unique legacy like this deserves a once-in-a-lifetime infrastructure upgrade.”