16 March 2023 | Tennis Victoria

Congratulations to Kevin Walsh from Royal Park Tennis Club who has been awarded with a Tennis Victoria Service Award for his involvement at the club for 40 years.

Kevin was presented his award by President Caryle Demarte and the Royal Park Tennis Club. Kevin’s involvement at the Royal Park Tennis Club started 48 years ago when he first joined as a club member at St Ambrose Tennis Club which merged with Princes Park Tennis Club to form the Royal Park Tennis Club.

In 1984, Kevin became the Club President for three years and then went on to become the Treasurer for 19 years from 1987-2006. Kevin has also been the Junior Coordinator for 10 years and was on the Facilities Master Plan Committee and Maintenance Committee member since the mid 1990s.

Kevin has attended the Club most days of the week since joining to perform his roles, organise programs, undertake maintenance work, play tennis and greet and meet all who come.

Kevin is a highly respected go to person around the Club.  He is always on the look-out for opportunities and new initiatives and actively looking for new ways of inclusion and connection with our community.  You can be confident that Kevin will be in attendance at every Club function or event and working hard to ensure its success. He is very passionate about the Club and its people.

As a qualified Accountant, Kevin ensured our Club finances and reporting were done at a high standard. He was heavily involved in the development, prioritising, drafting and approval of the Club’s Facilities Master Plan which took 20 years for the Club to implement. Throughout that time, Kevin actively participated in the project implementation which included new courts, lighting, fencing, clubhouse renovation, new pavilions, landscaping, solar panels and battery, etc.

Kevin undertook all of the locating, communicating and inviting of past and present members to the Club’s 130th Anniversary in 2019 which saw over 300 people attend. He worked closely with his partner and together they archived all of the Club’s 130 years of records. He investigated and initiated the Club’s registration for Book a Court and initiated and co-ordinated the first social drop in round robin tennis program in 2015. Since then, over 600 players are registered.

Kevin stills play competition tennis and is seen most days hitting socially with friends or members and/or overseeing landscaping or maintenance projects.

Congratulations again to Kevin on the well-deserved Service Award for all your efforts throughout the years at the Royal Park Tennis Club.