After the flyers were printed (thanks to Pitch Partner, Minuteman Press) and distributed around Yarraville and surrounding areas, we received numerous enquiries about tennis and was it really ‘free’. At the start we struggled to find a tennis club however Yarraville Tennis Club (YTC) agreed to allow YLAC to use their courts and facilities and was very supportive. Over the weeks we have had 12 people come along and spend two hours with the tennis coach. The ages range from 55 to 89 years and some of us are better at tennis than others but it doesn’t matter because everyone is having fun. We were very amateurish and if someone hit the ball over the net, instead of returning it we would stand around and clap and praise the person who originally got it over the net. This left the coach very amused. Eventually the coach was able to convince us to return the ball.

The main objective for ‘Come and Try’ Tennis was to encourage people who may be socially isolated to come along and enjoy the company of like minded people while trying to hit a tennis ball. Also we offered afternoon tea to enable everyone to have a chat over a cup of tear coffee. Without the sponsors money from the Seddon Community Bank Branch Community Pitch, Yarraville Life Activities Club would not have been able to offer the ‘Come and Try’ Tennis. The money has paid for brochures, the hire of courts and coach plus afternoon tea. We thank the kind local business folk who gave us cheques on the night of the Pitch and the Yarraville Tennis Club for being so supportive.

‘Come and Try’ tennis is a social activity with an emphasis on having fun, meeting other people and being physically active. Because of the great response we hope to return to the courts and continue on our path to being tennis legends in the new year.

Rebecca Luxford

Yarraville Life Activities