1. Where did you grow up and what are some of your earliest memories playing tennis?

I was born in Colac and started playing tennis as a 10-year-old, played with St Andrews TC which was the other end of town, used to ride my bike to tennis in the afternoon.

2. Did you play juniors and what was the player retention like in those days once it came time to join the senior ranks?

My family relocated to Ballarat in 1975, we lived around the corner from Neil Street Uniting Church and played tennis there, was introduced to Les and Thora Blackburn (who were legends of the Ballarat & District Churches Association) which gave me a lot of opportunities, used to play tennis morning (Juniors) and afternoon (Seniors) which I really enjoyed!

3. Describe yourself as a tennis player?

Reasonable doubles player, single handed topspin backhand was probably my best shot in the day.

4. What are some of your highlights from your playing days?

Winning an under 16 Regional singles and doubles, playing with Gary Wealands as a junior who taught me how to play doubles, winning 4 A Grade premiership with Kingston (including 3 in a row) and winning the A Grade Country Week with Mt Prospect were the highlights.

5. What are some of your favourite memories of Country Week and the maiden Mt Prospect A Grade title?

The team was amazing and it was a privilege to be a part of, the pleasure the win gave the Association, especially Bill Cosgrove was something I will never forget.

6. What do you remember of the social side of the Association during your playing days?

Social side was a key part, we had some great times at Hollioake Park after tennis whilst I played in Ballarat, however coming to Mt Prospect took the social side to another level.

7. Who are some of the best players you’ve shared a court with over the years?

Really enjoying being back playing Twilight Tennis with Gary Wealands again, Mark Alford and I played a lot tennis together over the years and we enjoyed some great times. Some of my best opponents would be James Gilchrist, Justin McGrath, Ricky Andrews and Trevor New, also great to play with Jan Hives in the early days and against Kelly Swift.

7. Your family has also played at Mt Prospect, what are some of your favourite family memories with tennis?

It was great that all my family play, my wife Sally plays midweek and we have 3 boys, Josh, Brayden and Mitch and we have all played together, have really enjoyed the last few years playing with Josh at Twilight, now he is telling me what to do!

8. What are you most proud of during your time as President and committee member?

During my time as President, it was about survival during the drought and probably as a committee member was the introduction of the Twilight Corporate Cup.

9. Tell us about the Twilight Corporate cup and how that came to be?

In 2004 the Ballarat Indoor closed and we saw that there was an opportunity to attract players to MPTA. Tracey Holmes, David Hay and myself came up with the concept of a Twilight Competition, we developed proposals for Major and Minor Sponsors, we were able to get Roadcon on board as the first major sponsor and the rest is history, still going strong today after 19 years.

10. Can you describe how close we came to losing the grass courts during the drought and the measures you put in place which ensured their survival?

We come very close during the 2005 season, when we were unable to use town water due to restrictions. With the assistance of Porter Plant, we installed piping down to Park Lake and were able to pump water under the advice from the Hepburn Shire. Subsequently Murray Goulburn Water advised us we required a permit and we had to cease pumping water. Hepburn Shire then supplied their water tanker which drove onto the courts and watered which wasn’t that effective. On Christmas Eve of that year, we installed the 2 big water tanks which saved the day.

11. Who were some of the committee people you worked with the most closely over the years?

Jan Miles, Steve Vanderkley, David Hay, Gary Lindsay, Sonya and Neil James and Pete Morrish, later with James Maher and Marcus Driscoll. All have been valuable members of the committee and have been a pleasure to work with.

12. Describe the honour of being awarded Life Membership of the Association?

Certainly was an honour and a surprise, it was awarded on a Twilight Grand Final night with my family present which was very special.

13. What were some of the fundraising initiatives the club relied on in those days and how many members would there have been?

We used to run Corporate Fund raisers where companies like Roadcon (now Integra) and Porter Plant would hold their social functions. We would cater for up to 120 people at a time and this would save us running smaller functions. In those days we would have about 650 players across the 4 competitions.

14. What are some of the biggest changes that you have witnessed over the years in relation to community tennis?

The biggest challenge is Saturday sport, people now have limited time available and there are so many other sports to compete with compared to the old days. Our magnificent grass courts is something that give us an edge on other tennis associations and we must continue to innovate.

15. What some of the decisions over the years that have had the biggest impact on the Association still going strong today?

We have always been focussed on improving our facilities, every year players come back to see something new.

16. What advice do you have for anyone wanting to get involved with the Association in a voluntary capacity?

MPTA has great facilities and a great committee which works well together, and I would encourage any new people to get involved to ensure the Association and its grass courts survive into the future.