15 October 2010 | Tennis Tasmania

By Corey martin

VOLUNTEERS are what make the sporting world go round, and Jim Witheford has been a prominent cog in the Riverside Tennis Club for more than 45 years.

Born in Sheffield, England, in April 1930, Witheford moved to Australia with his family in 1965, and ever since then he has been a larger-than-life member of both the tennis club and the Launceston United Soccer Club.

When Witheford, wife June and their two sons first came Down Under, they found residency in a department house on the Mayfield Primary School grounds before relocating to Riverside – where they have been nestled for the past 41 years.

For 37 years Witheford made a living as physical education teacher, teaching in England, at Brooks and Queechy between 1953 and 1990.

Sport has always played a significant role in the modest but talented sportsman’s life.

“I played third division soccer in England, which is pretty high, and I played A-grade tennis here – but I was never really a good tennis player.

“I was a better badminton player when I was younger, but I had to give it up, because you know what badminton is like – it could finish at one o’clock in the morning and I couldn’t get home, so I changed to playing basketball when I was at college.

“I played basketball until I was 65, so I have always been involved in sport.”

Within a week of Witheford living in Tasmania, he and his family were heavily involved in the tennis and soccer clubs.

For 26 years, Witheford was the founding member and secretary of high school soccer and is a life member of Launceston United Soccer Club, but tennis is his number one sport today.

After a 27-year reign as president of his beloved tennis club, Witheford recently stepped aside from the top job.

Out of the almost three decades he was running the place, 23 years of them were in succession.

“I have always been involved in the administration of sport, ever since I was very, very young at school,” he said.

“During the war all of our male teachers were away, so somebody had to organise the cricket, the football and all of that sort of thing – so I was one of the lads who said `give us a few balls and bats and we will organise it’.

“That’s how I started and all through my life in the air force, when I was at college and when I have been teaching I have always been involved in committee work of some sort – mainly soccer, but tennis, athletics and basketball as well.”

Tennis has always been Witheford’s second sport, but said the tennis club allowed his family to settle down and make life long friends.

“It has been a second home for our family – me and my boys played, my wife played and we have helped develop this from what used to be only two court club,” he said.

“We helped build the bottom two courts, we helped build this club house and over the years it has just been the place where we have gravitated to every weekend just about.”

At age 80, Witheford still plays tennis every Saturday, Sunday and sometimes Mondays, as well as a round golf in the warmer months.

“The thing that pleases me the most is that I am still playing on Sunday’s with the better players – I’m not as good as they are, but at least I’m with them every week and I feel as if I can hold my own.”

Being around the club and in a joyful environment has produced many highlights for the accomplished sportsman and loyal clubman including the re- development of the tennis courts.

The third court at the Riverside Tennis Club has been named after Witheford, in recognition for his contributions in developing the club that has been around since 1961.

“They named one of the courts after me and it’s there forever, I suppose, and probably 20 years from now people will say `who’s he?”‘ he joked.

“The more recent highlight for me in my time here came in April, when I turned 80 and the club put on a huge do here, a huge day of tennis for the club members and also veterans tennis.

“I am a life member of the veterans association as well and they came from all over the state.

“So there were about 50 or 60 people here and they very optimistically bought me a new tennis racquet at aged 80 and two rounds of golf at Barnbougle.”

When he was 45, Witheford started playing golf and now he is off “a handy cap of about 20 in the summer and 22 in the winter”, with a hole-in-one trophy on the mantelpiece.

The highlight of the skilful third division Chesterfield Football Club players local soccer life was when he set an impressive record playing for Launceston United.

“I actually hold the record for the most amount of goals scored in an A-grade game, which is 10,” he said.

“I had been playing in the reserves and the following week after the 10 goals I got dropped back to the reserves again – I was 42 at the time though.

“I played soccer for about 40 years and I never got a yellow card and I never got a red card, but these day I might because the rules have changed and some of the rules are a little bit silly.”

Although Witheford has stepped aside as president, he is still on the committee and will forever be an influential figure not only around the tennis club, but Launceston United as well.

When asked whether he will continue to play tennis he replied: “I guess so, I have got to wear this new racquet out.”

 Corey Martin – The Examiner