A community that has been part of my life is the Tennis Playing one. I initially joined this as a ten year old in Ireland. The family lived near the village en tout cas(in all conditions) tennis courts and my brothers and I started playing there, often accompanied by the Murphy girls who were co-tenants of Bansha Castle. On our return to Australia I played occasionally, but when the family moved to Camberwell I joined the local tennis club. There I played both competitive and social tennis. It was where I met my husband. We remained active members there until 1971 when we travelled to Ireland, remaining there for eighteen months. On our return to Australia, we played the occasional game but a growing family and work commitments put tennis on the backburner.
On our move to Benalla in 1978 I tried again to fit social tennis into my life, but with school runs, working with the animals we had and a part-time job time just seemed to fly. So, once again, tennis was put aside. After our move to Broadford in late 1983 I tried again to fit tennis into my life, but apart from filling in occasionally with a ladies midweek team and playing socially with my children, I seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Eventually I retired .
However, when we moved to the Bellarine Peninsula in 2012, I rediscovered my love of the game when I joined The Veterans at Point Lonsdale . There I played twice a week. On our return to Benalla I started playing in the Saturday afternoon competition with The Gardens Club. This came to a screaming halt (literally) when I tore my calf muscle whilst playing at Swanpool. The rehabilitation involved physiotherapy and exercise over a period of two months. I realised I had lost confidence in my ability to play competition and was about to give up the game completely, when I heard of the Wednesday Morning Ladies. Intrigued I went along. Six years later, I am an entrenched member
We are usually described as the Hit and Giggle lot by outsiders, as there is generally lots of laughter and we do NOT play for sheep stations. Overall, it is a social get together where we play several games, drink tea and catch up on the news, both local and worldwide. We play all year round and if the weather is wet we'll have a cup of tea, solve the world's problems and return to our homes. Winter does not hinder us and although we start and finish early in the summer, the game goes on. Birthdays are celebrated with cake and a cuppa. New grandchildren are proudly announced and their progress through life followed via photos and videos. Of course there are the sad times when a death or illness affects any member of the group, but support is on hand. There is a total lack of “Bitchiness”, which is very refreshing in a group of women, and the group always welcome new members. I joined this community when I returned to Benalla in an attempt to meet people and I have found more than I expected. Even when I grow too feeble to wield a tennis racquet, I know that I'll be welcome to join them when they have their cuppa, never mind the Christmas lunch.
Thus, from the en tout cas courts in a village in Co.Tipperary to the rural town of Benalla, the tennis community has been a delightful part of my life.
Marg McCrohan
May 2022
On our move to Benalla in 1978 I tried again to fit social tennis into my life, but with school runs, working with the animals we had and a part-time job time just seemed to fly. So, once again, tennis was put aside. After our move to Broadford in late 1983 I tried again to fit tennis into my life, but apart from filling in occasionally with a ladies midweek team and playing socially with my children, I seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Eventually I retired .
However, when we moved to the Bellarine Peninsula in 2012, I rediscovered my love of the game when I joined The Veterans at Point Lonsdale . There I played twice a week. On our return to Benalla I started playing in the Saturday afternoon competition with The Gardens Club. This came to a screaming halt (literally) when I tore my calf muscle whilst playing at Swanpool. The rehabilitation involved physiotherapy and exercise over a period of two months. I realised I had lost confidence in my ability to play competition and was about to give up the game completely, when I heard of the Wednesday Morning Ladies. Intrigued I went along. Six years later, I am an entrenched member
We are usually described as the Hit and Giggle lot by outsiders, as there is generally lots of laughter and we do NOT play for sheep stations. Overall, it is a social get together where we play several games, drink tea and catch up on the news, both local and worldwide. We play all year round and if the weather is wet we'll have a cup of tea, solve the world's problems and return to our homes. Winter does not hinder us and although we start and finish early in the summer, the game goes on. Birthdays are celebrated with cake and a cuppa. New grandchildren are proudly announced and their progress through life followed via photos and videos. Of course there are the sad times when a death or illness affects any member of the group, but support is on hand. There is a total lack of “Bitchiness”, which is very refreshing in a group of women, and the group always welcome new members. I joined this community when I returned to Benalla in an attempt to meet people and I have found more than I expected. Even when I grow too feeble to wield a tennis racquet, I know that I'll be welcome to join them when they have their cuppa, never mind the Christmas lunch.
Thus, from the en tout cas courts in a village in Co.Tipperary to the rural town of Benalla, the tennis community has been a delightful part of my life.
Marg McCrohan
May 2022
RSS Feed
