New art piece the beginning of improvements to Waikanae Beach Tennis Club

Adele Souster designed this piece of art, part of Waikanae Beach Tennis Club's new entrance. Photo / David Haxton

A new piece of artwork has been unveiled at the Waikanae Beach Tennis Club as part of a long-term plan to improve the club.

It was revealed today in front of a number of tennis club members in a small ceremony led by Tony Fenwick, the former president of the club.

The steel piece cut-out, which features prominently at the new entrance, shows tennis players in action.

It was designed by well-known local artist Adele Souster, who does a variety of different art styles, including still life and landscape.

When unveiled, Souster received many compliments on her work, and she said she couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.

“It was so nerve-racking.”

The artwork cutout was made of corten steel, a weathering steel that forms a rust-like appearance after years of exposure to weather.

It took Souster many hours to design the piece, and she said it was a nightmare trying to get it perfect.

Once it was designed, Siegfried Bachler, the owner of Bachler Steel in Lower Hutt, was involved in the process of cutting the piece out of the steel, and said it took a mere 30 minutes.

Adele Souster next to her artwork. Photo / David Haxton

“After that, it sat in my backyard for weeks to get to the colour it is now,” he said.

Club president Tim Sutton said the artwork and new entrance were part of the first stage of a redevelopment of the club’s facilities which is expected to take place over a two-year period.

“Later this year, three of the four courts will be resurfaced, and plans are in place to replace and extend the lighting to cover all four courts.”

Funds for the upgrading of the club have partly come from a grant from the Waikanae Community Board. Board chairman Richard Mansell said: “Supporting the arts and getting involved in sport is so important to who we are as a community.”

Sutton said Waikanae Tennis Club is one of the largest tennis clubs in the Wellington region, with about 250 members, and has more than doubled its member numbers since last year.

The club, which is 75 years old, consists of seven senior interclub teams, nine junior interclub teams and a number of family memberships, who all have access to a qualified coach.

That’s why he thought it was so important to upgrade the club.

“Our growing membership means that we need to rapidly develop the club’s facilities.”

Waikanae ward councillor Jocelyn Prvanov also attended the event and said that as a member of the tennis club herself, the improvements were particularly important to her.