The 19-year-old only arrived from Wellington, New Zealand in early March but hardly rolled a bowl for his new club in just another footnote to the Coronavirus pandemic shutting down the sport.

Curtin took up an offer to play for Warilla through the 2020 pennants season but following the suspension of all NSW bowls and closure of Warilla Bowls, the teenager had no option but to return home to New Zealand.

Despite being in Australia for just 20 days, Curtin didn't complain about how the Coronavirus impacted his life and instead thanked the support of the Warilla club and the generous welcome of his new clubmates.

''I arrived here on March 5 and only the played two weekends of bowls and three pennants games which is not a lot,'' Curtin said.

''It'd be great to have played more but I couldn't be happier with the move itself. I lived next to Gary Kelly (Irish international) and got to know some of the young guys I played with like Teyssy (Aaron Teys) and Corey (Wedlock) and they made me feel really welcome.

''Hopefully once this terrible situation is over I can get to come back and resume playing here again.''

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Being recruited to arguably NSW's strongest club might have come with added pressure for most 19-year-olds but Curtin took it in his stride. After all, he announced himself as a 17-year-old by reaching the 2018 Australian Open Singles and Fours semi-finals, with his Singles run particularly impressive in a field of 800 world-class bowlers.

Then almost 12 months ago he was handed his full international debut for New Zealand at the World Cup at Warilla; finishing second in his section to eventual champion Gary Kelly and pushing six-time winner Jeremy Henry in their knockout quarter-final.

That performance may have caught the attention of Warilla insiders and after also featuring in the Warilla 4-A-Side a few weeks later the first preliminary chats with the Gorillas began.

Curtin wants to develop his game and believes that Warilla with its bulging list of internationals - Gary Kelly, Jeremy Henry, Aaron Teys, Brendan Aquilina and Corey Wedlock - represented the perfect next step in his career.

A member of the 10-man Black Jacks international squad, Curtin missed out on making the five man team for the now cancelled World Championships in May, but is focused on making the team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Curtin says his experience is nothing compared to the day-to-day challenges faced by many others in the bowls community and he's keen for his second coming to the South Coast.

There are uncertain times in bowls but Corrimal Bowling Club's long-term future is more settled following approval of an amalgamation with Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club by the Warilla Bowls members.

Warilla Bowls are committed to investing $1.5 million into Corrimal BC's operations, plus covering the existing debt.

The amalgamation has been approved by the boards of both clubs, with Corrimal BC members then endorsing the merger, and unanimous agreement by Warilla's members.

The final step is for the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to formally approve the deal.

While the Coronavirus has put an end to bowls at all levels in NSW including club, pennants and representative play, the amalgamation of Corrimal BC with Zone 16's biggest club Warilla will ensure Corrimal BC remain autonomous and able to continue its proud history in the region.

Already this season Corrimal showed they are a playoff-calibre club in the elite Grade 1 Southern Conference competition, while the Cougars' Phil Bartlett and James Boyle won the Zone 16 President's Reserve Pairs title. Late last year Collies-Orb folded, while Shellharbour, Bulli and Dapto bowling clubs have also closed in recent years.

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Bowls Australia has reiterated that social bowls and roll-ups are not permitted as the sport comes to terms with the Coronavirus.

The sport's authority body along with Bowls NSW and Women's Bowls NSW have issued further directives that no bowls is to be played for the foreseeable future.

Bowls clubs across Zone 16 have shut to counter the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with various Federal Government financial support measures to aid businesses.

The latest Government stimulant plans include the $130 billion JobKeeper Program which was announced on Monday and will feature staff that have been laid off to be paid $1500 per fortnight through their employer.

The scheme is aimed to keep staff on the books of their employer and fast-track a return to employment.

All bowls events including pennants, club and zone championships have been suspended while some of the sport's biggest tournaments including the World Championships and Australian Open have been cancelled.