How we started....

"In the beginning..." Geoff Echberg eventually persuaded some of his colleagues to create a tennis club and on Saturday, 16th October 1965, fourteen people started playing tennis together at the Municipal courts, Royal Avenue, Sandringham.

Supporters of the scheme were initially from Highett Presbyterian Church and a sub-committee was formed, including Peg Proctor, Phil Orchard, Bruce Kentish and the Minister, Frank Boucher who made some progress by contacting Moorabbin Presbyterian Church and calling meetings to find those who might respond to "tennis anyone?" 

The earliest of these meetings for which formal minutes can be found was that held on 4th October 1965.  A few weeks before at a poorly attended meeting, it was decided to try again after making more effort at advertising and publicity.

The minutes of the 4th October 1965 adopted two important motions:

By the time of the next General Meeting on 3rd November 1965, there had been three tennis days.  It was clear a successful venture had started, players increasing from the original fourteen (eight senior, six juniors), to twenty-two (thirteen senior, nine junior).  Consequently all motions to complete establishing the Club were passed with the following results:

Timeline:

1965 Club began with a membership of 14.  2 courts were hired at Royal Avenue, Sandringham, for Saturday afternoon tennis. Click here for picture of first tennis day.
1966 Moorabbin Council renewed an option on a court site that had previously been obtained by the Highett Presbyterian Church
1967 Building Sub-Committee was formed consisting of Bruce Kentish, Bob Hooppell and Bill Collins to discuss the estimated costs of building courts, funds available and the steps which needed to be taken to reach completion date of 1st December 1967.  In July estimated building costs for three courts including plumbing, nets and fencing was $4,020.50.  Building had to be delayed however, due to the severe drought conditions and water restrictions.
1968 Building commenced in June and was completed in late August.  The MMBW advised watering could only occur 4 times a week.  The courts were officially opened on the 5th October by Councillor Mick Oliver and the Rev. Frank Boucher.  There was no pavilion so a tent was erected for afternoon tea. 
1968 The Club's first team was entered into competition tennis run by the SSCTA (South Suburban Churches Tennis Association)
1969 Building of the original clubhouse was started.  Junior tournaments were first organised by Edith Kentish and Betty Hooppell during the school holidays.  Betty has continued to arrange these round robin type events several times a year ever since, and this means over 4000 "entries" have been organised.  Junior tennis on Saturday mornings and social tennis arranged by a rostered senior on Saturday afternoons began.   Regular coaching was commenced with Frank Owens for a few months until he had to retire due to ill health.  He was replaced by Ian Jones in September.
1970 The winners of the Club's very first pennant were the Midweek ladies team when they were runners-up in their section of the Southern Districts Tennis Association in the winter of 1970.  A Reserve and C Special Teams won our first premierships in the summer of 1970-71. 
1971 The first Junior Singles Championships were conducted for those Under 18 at 31st March.  The winners were Jenny Feldtmann and Gary Sugden, with Jane Bennett and Glen Wood runners up.  The trophies were donated by Alex and Edna Kilgour.
1972 In Summer 1972-73 the Club won its first "A Grade Division 1" Premiership and by doing so, became the top team in the competition.
1973 Some of our juniors were successful in other tournaments and competitions, including Gary Sugden who received an invitation to play in the Linton Cup Squad in 1973. Later that year three of our members made up the four man (Gary Sugden - Captain, Rob Squires, Mark Plymin and Alan Hooppell) Senior Tennis Team for Highett High School which went on to win the Nepean District Competition and continued on to be runners up in the final of All Metropolitan High Schools.
1974 Gary Sugden took over the coaching duties when Ian Jones took Long Service Leave.  The clubhouse (Pavilion No. 1) was enclosed with aluminium frame windows and brickwork to keep out the weather. 
1975 Kay Hooppell and Judith Kentish won the Under 15 doubles tournament at Dendy Park TC.  The Club's 10th Anniversary Dinner Dance was held at Cheltenham Golf Club. 
1976 First team entered in the Moorabbin and Districts Under 17 Tennis Association
1977 Extra courts were hired at Wickham Road to extend the number of junior teams playing on a Saturday morning
1978 Ian Jones, who was coaching about 60 students,  was forced to resign due to work commitments.  Coaching continued with Gary Sugden taking over the after school groups and new coach Lyn Nette taking over Saturday morning.
1979 Over the past few years numerous social events had been held including golf days (first held at Rosebud in 1977), car rallies, square dances, progressive dinners, theatre nights and so on.   During 1979, $1,500 was raised through social activities which was a special effort to help finances for the two new courts.  The Moorabbin Council had purchased the adjacent property to enable the construction of the new courts.   By 1979 membership had reached 208 (108 seniors, 86 juniors and 14 midweek).  There was a waiting list which continued to grow and the extra courts were much needed.
1980 After removing large trees, levelling and draining the site, construction started on the two new courts.  These were finally completed and their opening on the 28th September 1980 was combined with the Junior Championship finals.  The Mayor of Moorabbin, councillor Frank Le Page and our Liaison Officer, Rev. Alec Yule, hit the first ball on the new courts to applause from the 100 or so members and visitors that were present.
1981 Up until 1981 all senior teams home matches had been played on courts hired at Royal Avenue.  With the completion of the new courts it was agreed some of the teams could now play at the "home courts", although Royal Avenue was still required due to the large number of teams on a Saturday afternoon.  The No. 2 pavilion was created in 1981 by fitting a sink and benches in the garage acquired with the property bought for the additional courts.
1982 There was renewed interest in the Finchley Shield, a 60 year old competition between church tennis Associations.  The SSCTA won it for the first time in 1982 and half the team was from Highmoor.  The Men's and Ladies Open singles Championships were started and the next year the Mens and Ladies Veterans Doubles Championship began.  This was all possible due to the extra courts.
1983 Leigh Adams replaced Lynn Nette as coach, and Peter Sierak, who had been assisting Gary at another club took over from him at Highmoor.  Membership had now reached 283 members (108 juniors).
1984-1987 Highmoor won the Division 1 premiership for five consecutive seasons.  The club entered the 90s as one of the top clubs in the competition.  The original courts were very compacted with slow drainage, so Stan LeLevre, the original court builder, dug them up and re-laid them with extra drains for a cost now equivalent to about $4,000 per court.
1985 Sunday Twilight nights were organised with social sets from 4 pm, followed by a BBQ tea.  These quickly became popular, and continue on today, during January, February and March (see calendar for dates).  The Club's 20th Anniversary Dinner Dance was held at the Sans Souci reception centre in Moorabbin. 
1986 Building continued with the lining of the No. 2 pavilion and the No. 1 pavilion's ceiling was also lined.  The final repayment of the bank loan was made (4 years early).
1987 In June the club was formally Incorporated.  First indoor tennis night proved very popular with the hot dogs keeping everyone going.
1989 New record membership - 293 (159 seniors, 98 juniors and 36 midweek).
1990 To mark the club's silver Jubilee, there was a Sunday BBQ lunch and tennis afternoon attended by many "earlier members" and a Variety night comprising dinner and entertainment by and for younger and older members, relatives and friends.  The 25th Anniversary Dinner Dance was held at the Saints Social Club.  Ian Jones resumed coaching, after retiring from the Education Department.

1991

A 36-page, professionally presented, covered and bound Highmoor silver jubilee booklet, highlighting the proud history of the club, was published and distributed to members. Subsidence at the south-west and north east corners of court 4 due to drops in the earth fill level of old (spring water) wells. These were then concrete-capped by the Moorabbin City Council and the court surfaces were rebuilt by the club.

1992

Membership topped 300 for the first time in August, peaking at 306. Social events, such as the annual Christmas BBQ and the indoor tennis night, as well as the Sunday twilight tennis-BBQ functions, were very popular. 40 couples took part in a rotating dinner.

1993-5

The competitive and social fabrics of the club and the loyal voluntary support of its longstanding management committee members continued. Bob and Betty Hooppell received tennis service awards from the VTA. These awards are only given to people who go "beyond the call of duty" over a long period of time in the service of tennis in the community. Club membership at 1995 had dropped to 277, but such a trend was widespread at the time among sporting clubs generally and this trend continues today, with many people working on weekends.  After 1984, no teams were entered in the South Suburban Churches Tennis Association (SSCTA) which had been the Club's major senior competition since 1968.  A couple of years later, the SSCTA had to be closed, after 65 years of operation.

1996-9

Highmoor remained one of the most socially active and competitive clubs in the Southern Districts Tennis Association (seniors) and in the Moorabbin and District Junior Tennis Association (juniors). 26 team entries per year was typical over the period, with half making finals, a third reaching finals and 4 on average winning flags. Membership level at 1999 was 253.  The Co-operative Society was dissolved after being set up and continuously administered for 33 years by Bill Collins as Secretary.  The Co-operative had been necessary to provide a guarantee to banks for the loans to build the clubrooms, courts, fences etc.  When the club became incorporated under the Associations Act, the Co-operative was no longer required, but its purpose had been well and truly served.  Thanks Bill.

2000

The Bayside Regional Tennis Association (BRTA) was formed by merging the Southern Districts and Caulfield Carrum Tennis Associations, which had both been operating since the 1920s.  Highmoor senior teams now played in the BRTA. 243 members. Not many major changes over the last 15 years. About half the members played weekly and about the same number play in teams as in organised social tennis, an important feature of the Highmoor club. Juniors had always been important and, since 1981, a consistent third to half of the seniors at any time had been junior members.

2001-2005

Despite a downward trend in membership and participation rates, as experienced by most clubs, the club remained socially active, welcoming and highly competitive. The following quote from longstanding club secretary and foundation member, Dale Collins, in the 2002 Annual Report is typical of the time and reads: "So, to those 22 new members, WELCOME! I hope you enjoy your tennis at Highmoor."
2005 The Club's 40th anniversary Dinner Dance was held at the Oakleigh Sports Club and was a raging success. Tributes were made to the many longstanding club officials who have made the club the proud and successful one that it is, not least of which are life members Bob and Betty Hooppell, Bill, Marg and Dale Collins, Ross Cartledge, Mark Plymin, Matt Cuthbertson, Ann Hannah, Brenda Chan, Anne Lampard, Ian Jones and Doug Freer.
2006 Bob Hooppell retires from the Committee after 41 years of service.
2006-2007 A decade of below average rainfall has seen the club adhering to Stage 3 water restrictions with respect to the watering of its 5 En Tout Cas courts, which have been well maintained over the years under programs of regular working bees of members. Although Tennis Victoria gained significant exemptions, only 3 of the 5 courts may be used in summer and the use of automatic sprinklers is banned. The club is fortunate that its management committee has managed its finances wisely and has set aside reserves for court replacement and other initiatives which may be required to enable the club to become independent with respect to water supplies in the event of Stage 4 water restrictions in the coming summers.
2008 President Ross Cartledge and Facilities Officer Frank Fox lead the charge to successfully have the water bore installed and the bore water lines plumbed to sprinklers and hoses. Other highlights were the painting of the clubhouse inside and out and reworking of the pavilion near courts 4 and 5, all involving a dedicated group of volunteer members, and the purchase of new clubhouse fittings.
2010 Frank Fox and his team of member helpers install new kitchen.  Hot water comes to Highmoor!  Official naming of Hooppell Pavilion and 45th anniversary celebrations in October.
2011 Article published in the January issue of the Victorian Tennis News magazine, celebrating Bob and Betty Hooppell's achievements.  Click here to view the story. Betty steps down from the Committee after 45 years of service.

Life Members: 

1981 Bob and Betty Hooppell
1985 Bill Collins, Doug Freer
1988 Matt Cuthbertson
1990 Ross Cartledge, Dale Collins
1996 Mark Plymin
2004 Brenda Chan
2005 Ann Hannah, Margaret Collins, Anne Lampard, Ian Jones
   

to all who have made Highmoor the great club it is.