It’s been 60 years since 89-year-old Vera Marks first swung a racquet at Kooringal Tennis Club but there’s still life in the old girl yet.
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“She’s a shark at the net,” friend and tennis partner Barb Oakman said.
“We’ve all learned that the hard way, you just can’t hit it to her there.”
Oakman, 81, has been part of the furniture at Kooringal Tennis Club alongside Marks and fellow founding member Thelma Byron since the club’s inception back in 1959 and still finds the time for weekly sessions.
“Me and Barb are both Lake Albert girls and Thelma came in off the farm but we’ve been playing here forever,” Marks said.
We only play doubles though – singles is too much running these days.
“We only play doubles though – singles is too much running these days.”
Byron, 84, still loves her tennis but said it was hard to bring younger members to the club.
“Girls have plenty of choice these days with football and softball and tennis just isn’t played as much any more,” Byron said.
Kooringal Tennis Club nevertheless remains a institution for its dedicated all-female troop with roughly 12-15 players meeting every week for doubles and morning tea.
“We’ll shift to evening games in January when it’s a bit warmer and sometimes we’ll even fill all the courts up. It’s great fun and we’ll usually get some other mums down too,” Oakman said.
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