In early November, the team from Tennis SA visited
Kangaroo Island for the fourth time following the bushfires in January.
This visit had a focus on community events, promoting community connection and social cohesion, offering support through participation. As part of this, Rally as One, a national program to support bushfire affected communities was launched by the Australian Open (AO) and Australian Tennis Foundation (ATF) on Kangaroo Island.
The Rally as
One launch saw Year 3/4 students from the Kangaroo Island Community Education Parndana Campus presented with
brand new racquets by Debbie Sterrey (Tennis SA CEO), Michael
Pengilly (Mayor Kangaroo Island), Sandon Stolle (former world No.2
doubles player) and Terry May (CFS Group Officer for Kangaroo Island)
before participating in beach tennis on Stokes Bay Beach.
Site
visits were conducted at Stokes Bay Tennis Club and Western Districts
Tennis Club. The Stokes Bay Tennis Club courts are nearing completion and
the short turnaround for this project is a credit to all involved. We look
forward to seeing players hit the brand new courts very soon. Planning
continues for a major redevelopment at Western Districts Tennis Club and we
can’t wait to see this take shape in the future.
110 Year 3/4 students in total were presented with
brand new racquets ahead of an ANZ Tennis Hot
Shots Kangaroo Island District School Carnival at Kingscote Tennis Club. With a round robin style draw, the
schools played doubles matches with simple scoring and time keeping to ensure
all students could participate on the day.
40 Reception students at Kangaroo Island Community Education Kingscote Campus received brand new racquets thanks to the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow initiative, with tennis legends Todd Woodbridge and John Fitzgerald making a special virtual appearance, along with Sandon Stolle visiting in person. An additional 22 racquets were delivered to Reception students at Penneshaw and Parndana campuses.
The trip
concluded with a Rally as One Community Tennis Night at Parndana Tennis
Club, open to all members of the community. Activities included ANZ Tennis Hot
Shots, Cardio and Social Tennis.
A special thank you to:
- Kangaroo Island Tennis Association
- Stokes Bay Tennis Club and Community Hall – Kate, Marina, Mark and Caleb
- Western Districts Tennis Club – Tracy and Alex
- The students and staff at the Kangaroo Island Community Education campuses, in particular Alex Laver and Kate Hacker for your tireless work and unwavering support of these events
- Kangaroo Island Council – Mayor Michael Pengilly
- SA Country Fire Service – Terry May and Brett Williamson
- To all who attended the events, we hope they brought some smiles to faces and we look forward to seeing you all again soon
We were also lucky to have the support of some
wonderful local businesses and organisations during our trip. A very big thank
you to:
- The Rockpool Café – Stokes Bay
- Linden Lea Mitre 10 – Kingscote
- Kangaroo Island Event Management
- ANZ Kingscote Branch – Karen Kilsby
- Drakes Kingscote
- Sealink Kangaroo Island
For the Tennis SA staff who have visited this year,
the Island now holds a special place in our hearts. We are thrilled to see the
progress since our first visit in January and we look forward to continuing our
support through the Rally as One initiative in the years to come.
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