Welcome to the forum Craig!
Plenty of guys on here with a wealth of experience that can point in the right direction as to how to proceed from here.
Given the fact that you have been previously told that the reel needs to be replaced, it might pay to remove the reel and soleplate from the machine and have them inspected professionally by a machinist/engineer. Since a new reel is the most expensive ($350+) part on the machine, the engineers report of this component may ultimately decided the course of action you wish to take.
Hopefully a forum member from Perth can chime in and assist in pointing you in the right direction to find a suitable engineer for the inspection. Short of that you could speak to a greenskeeper from a local bowling club as to where their reels they have their machines serviced and reels ground.
Here is a link to show you how to remove these components.
Simon
