Tennis Seniors Victoria
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The story begins with Mr.John P Young a man well known in tennis circles in Victoria over many years.
In 1969 he was visiting Wimbledon as the Australian delegate to meetings of the Davis Cup nations and the International Lawn Tennis Federations and he also participated in veteran’s senior men’s doubles events.
At a meeting with the Veterans Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain the idea of a veterans tennis movement in Australia was born.
It follows that on 11th February 1970 an informal dinner was held where it was decided to form a committee to plan the launch of the Veterans Lawn Tennis Club of Australia with the theme “to encourage the playing of lawn tennis in the spirit it was first played – for the love and enjoyment of the game”.
It is recorded that on Saturday 13th March 1970 the first Veterans Invitation Tennis Tournament was held at the Albert Ground, Queens Road Melbourne with the winners P Strugnell and G Hosch.
On the 16th March 1970 the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia approved the establishment of the Veterans Lawn Tennis Club of Australia and at its first official function on Wednesday 25th March 1970 the trophies were awarded to the winners of the first Veterans Invitation Tournament.
A veterans challenge match was held on the 11th April 1970 contested between the Kooyong Club (The Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria) and the Royal South Yarra Tennis Club however the outcome of this event is unknown.
The first annual general meeting of the Veterans Lawn Tennis Club of Australia was held on the 13th May 1970 at the home of Geoff and Veronica Brown during which the club’s Constitution and Certain Rules were approved.
The first National Veterans Titles were held in Canberra in 1971 and attracted a large field of over 200 entries, including former Davis Cup players Dinny Pails, Geoff Brown and Mervyn Rose.
Australia entered a team in overseas competition for the first time in 1973 in the Dubler Cup. The team of Jim Gilchrist, Bob Howe, Frank Sedgman and John P Young was victorious and returned to Australia with the prized Dubler Cup.
During the following years all Australian states formed their own Associations and in Victoria we are now the Veterans Tennis Association of Victoria and better known as Tennis Veterans Victoria and affiliated with the national body Tennis Veterans Australia.
Mr. John P Young was a Patron and Life Member of Tennis Veterans Australia; he passed away on 12th July 2003.
We acknowledge Paul Penman who has sourced and provided information for this article.