Ed Holland was born in Wales on April 1, 1922. In his native land, Ed was a champion chess player and an excellent lawn bowler. Coming to Canada in 1953, Ed tried a variety of sports, including baseball and golf, but settled on 5 pin bowling as his “participation sport”.

On the lanes Ed saw his average improve and, in 1963, he placed third in the first annual Holiday Sweepstakes with a 289 average. That same year he bowled a 1050 triple and a 448 single.

Just a year later Ed was a charter member of the Master Bowlers’ Association (MBA), representing Comet Lanes in Scarborough. However, a move to the west side of Toronto brought Ed to Bramalea Bowl in Bramalea. In 1967 Ed, along with Jim Elliott, Jim Moroney, Ernie McCausland, John Lawson, Harvey Doan and Harvey Oakley, was selected to bowl an exhibition match against the touring Hellewell’s All-Stars. In the MBA, Ed excelled as he won the Bowlerama Classic while bowling in Guelph in 1974. In addition, Ed bowled a perfect game at the MBA Rose Festival in Welland in 1981. This effort earned Ed a trip for two anywhere on the Air Canada system.

While Ed was bowling exceptionally well, he also began to be involved in the administrative side of our sport. In 1967, Ed was invited to meet with George Barber and George Nurse to discuss the formation of the new Central Ontario Bowlers’ Association. With the help of the proprietors, 13 centres formed the new association. The association was an immediate success and, through the incentive program of the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, was selected as Association of the Year. In 1970, Ed was named Tournament Director of the Year for his local efforts.

In the Youth Bowling Council, Ed introduced the provincial program to Bramalea Bowl in 1967. Along with Jim Elliott, they introduced a junior tournament tour that was attended by bowlers from across Ontario. Moreover, in 1975, the Brampton Daily Times invited Ed to cover 5 pin bowling with a weekly column under the heading “The Bowling Scene”. This success led to a weekly television program on local Cable 10, the community programming service for Brampton and Bramalea. Along with Dorothy McNaughton, they discussed instruction, recognized local bowling scores, and interviewed a variety of guests.

In 1984, Ed and Dot again combined to form the Bramalea Decentralized Association out of Bramalea Bowl. They were joined by Patricia and Brian McDougall, Jen and Jim Donovan, Carolyn Mayberry, Gerry Bruneau and Jim Moroney. This association was recognized as the Decentralized Association of the Year provincially in both 1996 and 2003.

Ed was a popular selection as a coach, both provincially and nationally. While bowling in the Provincial Open 13 times, Ed also coached on four occasions. In the MBA, Ed coached nationally, winning gold with the tournament men in 1982 and 1985 and, with the teaching division, won a silver medal in 1987.

Ed has received civic awards from both Brampton and Bramalea, as well as distinguished performance awards from the Ontario Government. Ed was also inducted into the Central Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2007.

Due to health reasons, Ed retired from the lanes in 1992, looking back on 40 years of achievement, both on and off the lanes. Ed and Dorothy were married in 1982 and together were part of a blended family as Ed had a son Robert, and a daughter Alma, and Dot had a son Gordon. Together they shared 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. In retirement, Ed took up wood carving and taught this skill twice a week at the Brampton Community Centre. Ed passed away on March 31, 2014, and both his bowling accomplishments and woodworking creations live on to this day.