About Us
Our Objectives
To conduct, promote, encourage and advance the game of tennis in the Forster area and to provide, manage, control and maintain suitable courts, grounds and premises for this purpose.
Our History
In the early 1950’s the State Lands Department had a policy of handing over portions of Crown Land to communities for recreational purposes. Forster was allocated several acres in Lake Street and the Lands Department nominated two portions to be developed for tennis and croquet. The local Croquet Club was without a court at this time since the private land they had developed had been sold and there were three private tennis courts in town. A Community Trust Committee was set up including several residents, one of whom was Jack Townsend, a local Earthmoving Contractor.
The Trust’s first project was to construct a croquet court, two concrete tennis courts, a small shed and toilets to be shared by both sporting clubs. The Trust members had to raise their own funds, clear the land – which was covered by thick scrub -and then construct the courts. Fund raising, donations and voluntary labour enabled the project to be completed. Jack Townsend was a key element in this success as he donated his machinery hire and costs and his own labour.
The Lands Department then changed policy, made all Trusts redundant and ceded the land to Stroud Shire Council solely for Sport and Recreational use. In 1981 the Great Lakes Council handed care and control of the tennis courts to the newly formed Forster Tennis Club.
The first court built by the Trust (presently Court 3) was sign posted as the “Jack Townsend Memorial Court” in appreciation of his personal contribution.