6 July 2021 | Tennis Queensland

With lockdown restrictions lifted across the whole of Queensland, school holiday camps are back in full swing throughout the state.

Hundreds of tennis coaches are delivering engaging daily sessions for school aged children with the focus on fun and skills improvement.

By the very nature of the state, coaches in Queensland often have to go the extra mile and mile and mile to ensure tennis is delivered to every corner (or at least court).

This school holidays, there’s very few that will match the distances of Maranoa head coach, Dean Stansell.

Dean has been commissioned by the Quilpie Shire Council to provide school holiday clinics to remote parts of Western Queensland, including Toompine and Eromanga, which claims to be Australia’s furthest town from the sea.

The clinics will run from July 8-10 and will mean Dean will be on the road for at least 16 hours to teach tennis skills to remote living children.

The Council has invested $400,000 in the last 12 months to restore 5 tennis courts in the region to give remote communities a place to play and belong.

Quilpie Shire Councillor, Bruce Paulsen is confident there will be a return on investment for the Council.

“The courts are free in all of our locations so the return on investment for us is providing facilities which are integral to the social life of our small communities. The return is seeing the courts full and people enjoying a healthy lifestyle.”

“We always see a big influx of people using the courts during the Australian Open and we’d like to see the courts used more throughout the year and have tennis and all sport prosper in our shire,” Mr Paulsen said.

School holiday clinics are happening across Queensland until July 9. Check your nearest club’s website for information and booking details.