Tennis: Gate Pa celebrates 60th in style

Alex Webster gets into the spirit of the club's 60th celebrations. Photo / John Borren

The weather made judging high lobs difficult and serving into the wind was a challenge but that was the only dampener on a special day on Saturday at the Gate Pa Tennis Club.

The elite Western Bay tennis club celebrated its 60th anniversary with a fine turnout of nearly 100 past and present players at the club from as far afield as Wellington, who enjoyed a hit around on the courts before a sumptuous dinner at the club in the evening.

The organising committee was driven by Geoff Bird, who joined the club in 1962, and fellow long-term members in club patrons Petra Osbourne and Mary Clark with the added expertise of Trish Muir.

But the longest-serving member of the club is June Evans, who joined the club in its first season in 1953 as a junior, and she plays weekly.

Bird says loyalty has been the main factor in the club's success over the years.

"The mainstay of the club have been very loyal to Gate Pa and when you look at players that have performed for Gate Pa over the years in general terms they are still here and have not gone to another club," he said.

"Our philosophy always has been that we provide tennis at all levels. We have promoted our juniors into the senior ranks. Guys like Murray Warner and Larry Seales, who is still winning the club champs at 60, were part of the junior set-up way back.

"Gate Pa has been one of the top clubs in this area for a long time."

Club president Trevor Lee says the club is in very good heart with tennis on the rise in popularity.

"Geographically, we are the only club at this end of town and have a loyal membership, strong business house with about 100 players that play every week," Lee said.

"The juniors are quite strong and we have a very good club coach in Peter Blow and those numbers flow through. We tend to really foster bringing the kids along. Peter goes out to the schools, too, and we encourage that."

Gate Pa has a big project coming up to replace four of the eight courts which have been down more than 15 years and looks set for another 60 years providing top-class tennis facilities for the wider community.