“Many years ago, the game of tennis in Wangaratta was played by ladies in long frocks, and by gentlemen with flowing moustachios, and sometimes even whiskers……….”
“In 1924, the suggestion was made that grass courts could be put down in Merriwa Park, but it was laughed at and treated as ridiculous……..”
“Ploughing, grading, planting of grass, grubbing out of trees, and fencing, had to be done……The grass had hardly commenced to grow, when the whole area was covered with a sward of young trees……However, the first cut with the mower killed off those young gums, and from then on the grass courts came along well…..”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
A century later, those same grass courts, as the centrepiece of the sunken parklands in Wangaratta’s heart, have provided the launching-pad for the careers of most of the town’s tennis champions.
It prompted the question…….In its long history, who have been the best of Wangaratta’s tennis players ?……..
On Reflection – with some assistance – has taken on the task of selecting the Top 20 Men and Women who have participated over the century. Here we go…..
No 20 (Men) John Farmer: A livestock agent with Gippsland & Northern, Farmer was a fine all-round sportsman, having also played several seasons as a key forward for Tarrawingee Football Club.
He made a solid contribution on the administrative side of the Tennis Club and was a member of the Wangaratta team which won the A-Grade title at Melbourne Country Week in 1958. Farmer was a leading player during a strong era. He remained an enthusiastic competitor when employment took him to other parts of the state.
(Women) Janine Smith: Grew up around Merriwa Park, following in the footsteps of her mother, Nora. In fact, the pair shared a Club Doubles title, and Janine took out the Singles Championship in 1978.
She was also a member of Wangaratta’s Country Week team of 1982, which were successful in A-Grade.
No 19 (Men) Des Stone: There were few more versatile local sportsmen than Stone, who shone at football, basketball, squash, racketball, tennis and golf. He shared in two Club Doubles championship victories with Ron Beazley, and was a regular inter-town and Country Week rep.
After a long spell away from tennis, during which he played several seasons of cricket for Tarrawingee, he resumed playing tennis, before taking up golf and training greyhounds in the evening of his career.
(Women) Doreen Stone: A true tennis die-hard, she won two Club Championships, in 1962 and ‘64……In her heyday, with husband Des, she would sate her appetite for tennis by competing in the various district Tournaments at Whorouly, Beechworth, Corowa and Myrtleford.
John Farmer
Doreen Stone
Steve Norman
No 18 (Men) Steve Norman: A top player during the sixties and seventies, Norman possessed a strong all-round game….His introduction to tennis came when following his parents Eddie and Enid, who were stalwarts of the Hardcourt competition.
He won the Club Singles Championship in 1974, and shared in five Doubles and two Mixed Doubles titles.
Norman was a regular member of Country Week teams and helped Wangaratta to ultimate victory in 1970, ‘76 and ‘80. Also a legendary goal-kicker in his 242 games with Wangaratta Rovers.
(Women) Janelle Hartwig: An enthusiastic competitor and ultra-consistent player for many years, Hartwig broke through to win the Club Singles Championship in 1997. She also combined with Melissa Anderson in taking out the Ladie’s Doubles in the same year.
No.17 (Men) John Brunner: Brunner had the physique and appearance of a lightweight boxer…..Following a scintillating football career, and after dabbling in Drag Racing, he relished the challenge of mastering tennis.
He picked up four Yarrawonga Club Championships, then decided on a change of scenery and decided to head over to Wangaratta each week-end.
Brunner adapted superbly to the environs of Merriwa Park, and collected a further four Wangaratta Singles titles. Matthew Allen, a football foe, and fellow Ovens and Murray League Hall of Famer, was his opponent in each of those Finals.
Brunner’s greatest asset, according to Allen, was his determination: “He would chase anything down…..”.
John Brunner
(Women) Barbara Mahoney : Along with her husband Kevin, Barb Mahoney was one of the lynchpins of the Tennis Club during their long association, through the 60s, ‘70s, and into the ‘80s.
But she also had considerable success on-court, combining to win two Club Mixed Doubles championships, and six Ladies Doubles between 1967 and ‘76.
No.16 (Men) Bill Traill: School-teacher Traill was a great acquisition to the town when he arrived in 1959, with a reputation as a top-ranking footballer and tennis player.
Besides the impact he made as a tennis-coach, helping to provide lessons to 80-90 juniors each Saturday, he took out the Club Singles title in his first year, defeating 18 year-old Cliff Flanigan in a hard-fought Final. He reached the Final in the following three years, but policeman Stan McKenzie (once) and Flanigan (twice) stood in his way.
The Traill-Flanigan combination took out successive Doubles Championships in the early sixties.
(Women) Maree Sullivan: A wonderfully consistent player over a long period, She won her first Singles title under her maiden name of Hallinan, in 1989. Two others followed, in 2005 and 2010, but she also shared in seven Doubles titles over the years.
Maree Sullivan
Brendan Liddell
No.15 (Men) Brendan Liddell: Was a highly-rated Seymour mid-fielder when he transferred to Wangaratta in his profession as a Physiotherapist, in 2010. He certainly made an impact on the football field, but for a period, was the leading male tennis player in town.
He lowered his colours in three successive Men’s Singles Finals before breaking through to win the first of four straight in 2018. Liddell has also played a part in capturing seven Doubles titles.
Having obtained a ranking of No.28 in Australian Seniors (40 & over) at one stage, he has maintained his enthusiasm for the game, and has also acted as a Physio for AFL club Richmond and NSL team Central Coast Mariners.
(Women) Aline Smith: Shone out in a particularly productive era for women’s tennis, during the mid-to-late fifties. She was a member of several of the Ledger Cup victories which Wangaratta secured in that time, in the NEDTA competition.
She broke through to win the Singles Championship in 1960, releasing the stranglehold which Nora Bennett and Mae Osmotherley had held on the event.
No.14 (Men) Gerald O’Kane: Dominated local tennis when it resumed after World War II.
His dad Bill played a significant role in establishing the Lawn Tennis Club, and had also been an outstanding player, but Gerald also made a huge contribution.
He won a handful of titles in the thirties, and when things returned to an even footing post-war, was the Singles champ in 1947, ‘48 and ‘49.
The O’Kane family were the Licensees of the Criterion Hotel, a short distance from the Lawn courts, and it became the popular watering-hole for players after a long hot day.
(Women) Lynn Kahlefeldt: She hailed from Kerang, began teaching at the West End Primary School in 1974, and became part of the furniture at the Lawn Courts from then onwards.
A sign of her talent came when she outpointed longstanding champion Nora Johnstone in her first crack at the Singles Championship. She repeated the feat the following year.
Lynn was particularly enamoured with Country Week and Inter-Town competition, and once combined with Fran Ellis to win a Regional title at Hamilton.
No.13 (Men) Gary Brookes: He was just 17 when he broke through to win the first of his four Singles titles in 1972, so becoming the youngest male winner in the Club’s history. Earlier that year, Brookes had shone at his first Country Week, and narrowly lost the Semi-Final of the Vic Country Junior championships.
An electrician by trade, Brookes was hugely talented and had the benefit of being coached by the great Rex Hartwig.
The sky seemed the limit for the youngster, but he lost enthusiasm for the game and played little tennis upon leaving Wangaratta.
He moved around the nation pursuing his trade, and later operated his own business in Thailand.
Gary Brookes
Kevin Barry
(Women) Joanne Hughes: At the tender age of 14 she was persuaded to register for the Club Championships and, without giving herself the slightest chance, defeated Maree Sullivan in an entertaining, and high-standard three-set match.
That was in 2001. Jo went on to win the next two Singles titles and furthered her career by working as a tennis coach for some time. She also competed in Australian Money Tournaments throughout Queensland and New South Wales.
Joanne Hughes
Mandy Allen
No 12 (Men) Kevin Barry: Was probably cast in the shadow of contemporaries like Cliff Flanigan and Keith Lipshut, but was nevertheless an outstanding player in his era.
In fact, he has the rare honour of ‘sharing’ his first Singles title with Flanigan. The Final had been postponed several times, until it was no longer appropriate for it to be played. Club officials declared the pair joint champions.
Barry won the event in convincing fashion the following year, when he defeated Gary Brookes 6/2, 6/3.
(Women) Mandy Allen: The Allen family share 21 Wangaratta Singles titles, and Mandy has taken out seven of them.
She has figured in the last three finals against Michelle Hill; the most recent coming 20 years after the pair first confronted each other, in 2005.
Mandy represented Victorian Country against SA Country in 1989.
A member of a legendary local tennis family, she has spent most of her summers since early childhood around the courts at Merriwa Park.
No.11 Sam Allen : This season, at the tender age of 24 , Sam Allen took over the role as President of the Wangaratta Lawn Tennis Club, stepping into a role that his grand-father Pat Flynn had once capably held for 20 years.
With his character and personality the young fellah will no doubt adapt to the responsibility thrust on his young shoulders …….But will it affect his on-court performance ?……
Sam honed his game playing against some hot opposition in Albury for a short period, , which certainly did him no harm.
He has played in the last seven Club Singles Finals…….He lowered his colours to Brendan Liddell on the first three occasions but has claimed four straight titles to become the pace-setter in local Men’s ranks.
Sam Allen
Jesse Mulqueen
(Women) Jesse Mulqueen: She was just 15 when she achieved the rare double of winning the Club Singles title along with the Open Singles Australia Day event……besides also snaring the Open and A-Grade Doubles at the prestigious tournament.
Mulqueen also enjoyed a successful Australia Day in 2000 when she defeated highly-rated Bianca Gencarello in a hard-fought final.
There were few more talented youngsters than Mulqueen, who took out two Club Titles, and also became a Regional Singles champion at 16 – after being runner-up on four occasions.
She went on to play Pennant Tennis with some success in Melbourne……
The Top Ten of the Century of ‘Stars of Merriwa Park’ will be portrayed in the next ‘On Reflection column……….
This story appeared first on KB Hill’s website On Reflection and is used here with permission.
All photos sourced from KB Hill’s resources unless otherwise acknowledged.
To read more of KB Hill’s great stories on the Almanac, click HERE.
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