- Darlene Badenoch is in a legal battle with the Moonee Ponds club
- She is seeking damages and an apology for her claims.
A keen bowler has taken legal action against her local club after claiming she was banned from the teams because officials believe her battle with cancer made her too unreliable to compete in top teams.
Darlene Badenoch, 53, was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in September 2022 after doctors found tumors in her neck.
She alleges officials at Moonee Ponds Bowling Club in North Melbourne, where she spent years as one of the top division one players, demoted her down several divisions after she took time off to battle illness in the season. 2022-2023.
“I received a phone call from a coach saying that I had been demoted to division seven,” he alleged in statements made to news corporation.
“I was devastated, all I wanted to do was bowl, it's all I had to look forward to at the end of the week.
“I told him, 'Don't do this to me.' I begged him, 'Please give me a game, I'm playing well.'
Darlene Badenoch (pictured) is suing Melbourne's Moonee Ponds Bowling Club for allegedly kicking her off their team due to her cancer diagnosis.
Badenoch (pictured at Moonee Ponds club) was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in September 2022 and alleges the club said her illness made her “unreliable”.
Badenoch took the club to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in 2023, asking for $5000 and an apology for being discriminated against due to her illness.
“It was the only thing I had, besides my son, during that time that really kept me going,” he told alphabet.
'I was devastated. My son heard me crying from outside, he came to see if I was okay.
“I was in the middle of chemotherapy. I didn't know if it would work or not.
“The bowling director told me that my cancer, my illness, made me unreliable.”
When VCAT heard the matter late last year, the court heard that Badenoch attended a meeting on February 4, 2023, at which club representatives repeated their decision to demote her, News Corp reported.
“I left that meeting crying hysterically,” she said.
Moonee Ponds secretary Jozsef Salik told the hearing that Badenoch was demoted as part of the club's plan to ensure she was ready to play in the finals as they sought to give her a gradual return to the game after she had missed matches. due to his fight against cancer. .
Moonee Ponds Bowls Club (pictured) rejected Badenoch's allegations and claimed officials acted out of concern for his health.
The hearing also heard claims that the club asked Badenoch to apologize for an alleged verbal attack he made on an official at the February 4 meeting.
She was suspended for two games as a result of her comments in that meeting.
The bowler told the court she believed the apology request was offensive and it prompted her to take legal action after mediation failed.
Badenoch have now moved to rival Moonee Valley Bowls Club and now play in their top division.
“I wanted to be loyal, but then they did it, I couldn't believe it,” he explained.
In 2023, club president Ian Harvey said: “MPBC has always been concerned about Ms Badenoch's health and wellbeing and wishes her well with regards to her health issues.” “We regret that you have seen fit to implement such actions.”
The VCAT verdict on the matter will not be issued until later this year.