2nd All Abilities Week event, a win for 'Every Body'
Updated: 18 minutes ago
Despite predictions of world-ending storms, Sunday, 25 October saw the dawn of another stunning day at Collaroy Tennis Club. On that day, the Club again joined forces with our coaching partner, Evolve Tennis Academy, to present a 2nd very special event as part of Tennis Australia’s annual All Abilities Week presented by Bupa.
Volunteers were again on hand early to dress the Club (thanks Fran, Glenn, Ed, Lionel, Dave, Justine, Chi and Phil), while Kate and Maryanne took care of the catering and set the tables for the feast to follow. Coach Paula had things ready to rip on Court 4 for the Club Wheelchair Championships and the ‘Come and Try a Wheelchair’ sessions to follow.
Wil was there to set up our speaker system and prepare to take the great photos included in this post. And as he did for the inaugural event, our resident Media Presenter, Bill Woods was superb as our M.C., interviewing our special guests and informing attendees of the activities taking place on every court.
Collaroy Tennis Club President, John Hurst opened proceedings by thanking members of the Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee and Evolve Tennis Academy for organising the event. He welcomed all visitors to the Club and then introduced Guests of Honour Mayor Sue Heins of Northern Beaches Council and State Member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan (with his ever-present wooden racquet), each of whom spoke glowingly of the Club for our inclusion efforts and for creating a welcoming space for all members of the northern beaches community.
All Abilities Week is a moment in the tennis calendar dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness of disability inclusion in tennis, while creating more opportunities for people with disability both on and off the court The aim is to make our sport more welcoming, safe and inclusive for all. Around a hundred people in total came through the new Club gate that Sunday to celebrate an incredible showcase of inclusivity, inspiration and community spirit.
Working together in the lead up to the event, Collaroy and Evolve planned the afternoon to showcase how those with various disabilities can enjoy and be engaged in tennis in a way that is positive and meaningful for them. On Court 4, overseen by Evolve Coach Paula Gibson Roy, we conducted the 2026 Collaroy Wheelchair Tennis Championships, again hosting world-ranked defending champion Hayley Slocombe.
Hayley successfully defended her singles title, but not without a battle as fellow Finalist, Laura South really took it to her higher credentialed opponent. Laura turned the tables in the Mixed Doubles Final, teaming with World No. 18, Anderson Parker to defeat Hayley and Collaroy Junior, Oscar Doman.
Later, Paula ran a very popular ‘Try a Chair’ session. This was great fun, with the true ‘Wheelies’ running rings around able-bodied players trying to play in a wheelchair. Among the latter was special guest, Tennis NSW Inclusion & Community Manager, Naskaya Rajah. Naskaya had tried wheelchair tennis at our inaugural event in 2025, but showed definite signs of improvement this time around. Young Blind and Low Vision champion, Arato Katsuda-Green, took to the chair like he was a Formula 1 driver at Albert Park. So much talent this teenager.
On Court 5, Evolve coaches ran a session for junior players with Intellectual Disabilities including Autism (ID&A) and it was an absolute pleasure to see many young kids having so much fun, trying out the sport we all love.
Then after the ID&A session, we were treated to an exhibition by some extremely talented Blind & Low Vision (BLV) players, including two-time World No. 1, Grace Hobbs, teenage national titleholder, Arato Katsuda-Green and national titles competitor Samira Cox. Incredible what these players with severe vision impairment can do on a tennis court. Grace’s mum Corrynne then held a ‘Come and Try BLV’ session, with World Champion ID&A player, Kelly Wren, finding out just how tough it is to hit a ball while wearing glasses that mimic low vision.
On Court 6, Para-Standing Tennis Players showed us why this fast-growing segment of the sport is now being embraced by Grand Slam committees around the world. They hit with club members and others from the local community and of course, the BLV players soon joined in the fun too.
A highlight of the day was the appearance of special guests, Multiple ID&A World Champion, Kelly Wren AM and current World No. 18 Men’s Wheelchair player, Anderson Parker. M.C. Bill Woods interviewed these Legends in a panel format, discussing their early days playing sport, their decisions to concentrate on tennis, their rise as individuals in the world rankings and the many challenges each has faced.
As an example, at one point, Anderson believed his wheelchair tennis career was over. He was ‘de-classified’ in 2015 after his talipes condition (congenital foot deformity) was reassessed and no longer met the official criteria for wheelchair tennis at that time. After changes to the classification rules, he returned to wheelchair tennis in 2022 and won both the Open Men's Singles and Doubles titles at the 2023 Australian Wheelchair Tennis National Championships at Melbourne Park. He then represented Australia at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and his ranking continues to quickly climb. Look out for him at the AO in January!
Kelly, Anderson and Bill were presented with special gifts, lovingly prepared by Anna C., ‘from the Heart of Collaroy’. (Thank you Anna.)
Carol and her wonderful team from Bunnings Narrabeen again catered for us with a classic BBQ, which attendees were able to enjoy while listening to some wonderful Live Music performed by young Australian Idol Top 30 contestant, Taiyo Marchand.
Taiyo is brilliant. This year at just 15, he became the youngest ever Australian Idol contestant. At Collaroy Tennis Club, he effortlessly played and sang hits by everyone from Stevie Wonder to Bruno Mars, receiving rapturous applause from the audience. He brought a smile to Bill's face by playing a number of classics from the 1970s, though he was just a little circumspect about Bill's offer to play drums at his next live show. (Taiyo later tried his hand at tennis and for a first timer, showed great promise on court too!)
After the exhibitions and showcase matches, players with disability mixed in with their able-bodied counterparts for some fun social tennis across all courts. It truly was a joyous atmosphere and made you proud to be a Collaroy member. (See more photos in the Gallery below.)
It was another sensational day at our Club, with the whole community embracing the spirit of All Abilities Week. The mix of players across wheelchair, blind and low vision and para-standing pathways, playing alongside able-bodied participants, showed exactly what this week is all about.
Thanks to Ryan, Scott, Paula and the other Evolve coaches who helped out on the day. It was another great opportunity for the Club and Evolve to demonstrate their collaboration, which is now recognised by both State and National governing bodies. Thanks too to Evolve sponsor HEAD, who provided a great racquet and racquet bag raffle prize pack, which was won by visitor, Evelyn (Evie) Saville. Evie will be collecting her prize at the Club on Saturday 7 November at 3pm.
This was our final community event for 2026, with our next one being our now traditional AO Pride event in January. (And those predicted storms finally arrived around 6pm, long after our event had finished up. Somebody up there likes us.)
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