Welcome to 2023/24 season! President's Newsletter

Millswood Lawn Tennis Club

Welcome to the 2023 /2024 Season

A warm welcome to the upcoming season. We also welcome some new faces in Jen Hall and Ian Milverton onto the Committee and would like to thank Jen Machin and Deb Clarke, who have stood down from the Committee, for their contribution over past years.

After 9 years of tireless service as Club President, Mark Mitton has also stepped down from that role. I am sure everyone will echo my sentiments in thanking him for the leadership he has provided over that time. Mark will remain active on the Committee and so his experience and guidance will not be lost.

Congratulations are also due to Anna Mitton and Dave Tiver who were given Club Life Membership at the recent AGM for their outstanding service to the Club over many years.

Opening Day – Saturday 14th October

We kick off the new season at 1pm on Saturday 14 October. All members are encouraged to bring along friends who may be keen to look at our club and enjoy an afternoon of lawn tennis.

Play typically commences between 1 and 1.30pm until around 5.30pm with “Happy Hour beginning at around 4.30pm with drinks and nibbles. We play doubles matches (Women’s, Men’s and Mixed) and cater for players of all levels.

Additional Visitor’s Days

In the 3 weeks following the Open Day (Oct 21, Oct 28 and Nov 4) visitors may “come and try” at no cost on any one of those Saturdays.

(Note: Visitors fees are $20 per visit during the rest of the season)

Working Bee – Saturday October 7th

Starting time is 9am for the Working Bee. Bring along your gardening tools to help spruce things up around the courts and clubrooms in readiness for the season opener.

Tennis Court Maintenance

We will continue our contract with James Macdonald from Lawn Nation for the maintenance and upkeep of our courts. James is confident the courts will be in good condition for the start of the season as the weather this year has been much more favourable than the cool, wet conditions experienced last year. Later in the year we will undertake the “Top Making” process to renovate the surface of Courts 3 & 4. This is the same process as we did on Courts 1&2 in 2021.

The courts will be heavily scarified to remove the surface grass and thatch and then top dressed with sand to encourage new growth. Typically the courts take around 2 months to recover so Courts 3 &4 will be out of action during December and January. We appreciate that this causes some inconvenience to members but based on the results on Courts 1&2 it is a worthwhile exercise to improve the court surface for the longer term.

What’s on at Millswood?

Wednesday Night Fast 4 Tennis

Following the success of twilight Fast 4 over the past seasons we will again be running this popular event on Wednesday evenings from 8th November to 6th December.

Fast 4 is a shortened version of tennis with some revised rules including:

Matches are first to 4 games

Tiebreaker at 3 all
At deuce the receiving team elects who receives – one point only to win the game
No lets on serve, either player may play the ball

The tennis begins at 6pm until approximately 7.30pm followed by drinks and a BBQ. Fast 4 is free for MLTC members and $10 for non-members. If you stay afterwards, an extra $15 will get you burger and a drink.

If you would like to make a team please contact Mark Mitton on 0413 801 308.

Tuesday Social Tennis

Our Tuesday Social Tennis has been very popular amongst members who like play some additional tennis during the week. Tuesday morning formats include a men’s doubles group and a mixed doubles group. All members are welcome. If you are interested please call Dave Mitchell (0439 734 526) or Shane Reidy (8272 3570) for further information.

Our senior members also meet for lunch on Tuesdays organised by Ruth Daws. Call Ruth on 0438 321 667 if you would like to join this group.

Coaching for members and non-members

Bill Purling, our coach, is available for coaching sessions from 4.30pm on Saturdays. Sessions are coordinated by Christine Bednall according to demand so please contact Christine on 0438 862 853 if you would like to organise a lesson with Bill.

Social Events

The popular monthly BBQs will commence on Saturday 4th November and continue on the first Saturday of every month throughout the season. BYO meat and a salad to share.

Quiz night – Friday 24th November 2023

After an absence last season we are pleased to announce the return of the famous MLTC Quiz Night under the guidance of Quiz Master extraordinaire Geoff Roberts. Get your tables together for this great night. The night kicks off at 7pm for 7.30pm start and the cost is $20 per head plus some gold coins for the “heads and tails” and other fun activities.

Covid 19 update

Although Covid case numbers have reduced and most restrictions have been eased we are still conscious of the health and well-being of our members and visitors. Hand sanitiser is available at the clubhouse and we continue to encourage its use. We also ask that anyone who tests positive after being at the club to communicate this so that we can inform others that you have been in contact with. As a further safeguard we request that if you are unwell please stay away from the club in the interests of protecting fellow members.

Finance and Fees

In order to help meet the rising costs of running the club it has been necessary to increase member’s fees. Costs have risen across the board including labour, chemicals, fertiliser and fuel which have affected the grounds keeping costs. Water rates, council rates and Tennis SA fees and insurance have also increased, adding to the club’s running costs.

The committee attempts to keep fee increases to a minimum and we thank members for their ongoing support of the various social and fundraising events throughout the season which help to provide additional income to defray these costs.

Our fees this year are shown on the fees page.

Committee 2023/2024

Following the August AGM, I am pleased to announce the new Committee for the upcoming season:

President: Brian Schulz

Secretary: Anna Mitton

Treasurer: Andrew Bednall

Captain: Scott McDonald

Facilties Manager: Dave Tiver

Courts Manager: Brian Schulz

Committee: Jen Roberts, Lois Hill, Dale LePoidevin, Christine Bednall, Mark Mitton, Jen Hall and Ian Milverton

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the new season on Saturday 14th October.

Regards,