Greenvale Tennis Club

The Greenvale Tennis Club was formed on the 10th of September 1913.

The first court surfaces were made of gravel, and the lines were marked with oven white mixed with water, poured out with an old kettle as you walked along the court.

The original club room was little more than an old iron shed with a door that lifted vertical to reveal a serving area.

While the club's location is a considerable distance from what many people would call the suburb of Greenvale (or at least the centre of the suburb), in 1913 this was the centre of the community due to the primary school, general store and in later years, the manual telephone exchange being opposite the Tennis Club. The school itself was built in 1868 and for over a hundred years this was Greenvale and the focal point to the farming community. The suburb itself took hold in the 1980's, but the school (now a church), tennis courts and recreational reserve, including the football oval, still remain.

Its unique location has become a talking point amongst the membership, the local community and visiting teams, with its rural environment.

The club has been dormant a number of times in its history but continued to rebound and continued to grow to the point now that it has become one of the largest clubs in the northern suburbs.

The photos on this page have been kindly donated by Joan and Marvis Miller, who were both active committee members of the club in its early days. Their father and family members were foundation members in 1913. The photos themselves are of unknown people believed to be taken in the 1930's.

An indication of the times comes from the old vehicles, including and old motorcycle) as well as the racquets and tennis attire. The photos with the court and old cars parked in the background were taken looking across what is now court 2. You can see the old gum tree in the top left of the photos which still exists at the club today. We believe you can also see the Greenvale General Store in the back right of the photo.

The original copy of the minutes of the first meeting on the 10th September 1913, plus several other extracts and documents from the time, still exist today.