The Australian Women's Register

Dorothy Roche took up competitive lawn bowls in 1975 when she was nearly fifty years of age. In 1979, she won the Champion of Champions (singles) competition and the Alpha Romeo Sport-Star of the Year. In 1984 she played a round-robin match with Merle Richardson against the leading male players, beating world champion David Bryant. Throughout her career, Roche won a State-level game every year. In 1988 she was captain of the gold medal-winning team at the Melbourne World Championships. Two years later she competed in the women’s fours in Bowls at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games and won gold, becoming Australia’s oldest gold medal winner. That year, Roche was granted the ‘Freedom of the City of Paramatta’ and was awarded the OAM for services to lawn bowls.