Members of the Young Tennis Club departed for New Zealand on Monday, August 8 dressed in uniform, juggling suit cases, carry-on luggage and of course the most precious cargo, tennis racquets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Terry and Duncan Gray greeted us on arrival. You may remember their daughter Georgie, a very talented young tennis player who trained and lived with us while completing her HSC.
The South Pacific Resort – situated on the edge of Burnt Pine – was home for the week.
Members enjoyed the local hospitality on night one, before some sight seeing the following day.
Colin had the team on court in the afternoon for a training session prior to their match against the opposition the following morning.
The day was capped off with a pirate-themed evening which featured John R Barton performing on stage, much drinking and entertainment into the night.
The following day coach Col looked somewhat stressed at the state of his team. You must remember, we are not as young as we used to be! However, in true Aussie spirit, we all gave our best on court.
To even the score, we played tennis on a more social basis, mixing all players for matches.
Wednesday night we were guests at the Fletcher’s Fate Mystery Dinner. This was a fascinating evening of interactive theatre, intrigue and mystery.
Friday, our last day, was a chance to wander the beautiful shops filled with perfumes, leather shoes and handbags, silk scarves, jewelry.
Just before departure, Duncan Gray arrived with a freshly-cooked banana loaf to take back to the mainland. I’m sure everyone on the plane would have smelt it.
I was pleasantly surprised to make it through customs. Yes, I did declare it!
Air New Zealand returned us safely to Sydney and ‘The Legends’ parted ways.
We would like to thank Kelly Slater, Flight Centre, for putting a memorable tour together for us. Nothing was a problem for Kelly and the week was relaxing and enjoyable.
- Lynne Maher, Young Tennis Centre
