Collaroy proves that tennis is for ‘Every Body’
- Collaroy Tennis Club
- Oct 26
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 5
What a stunning day at Collaroy Tennis Club last Sunday, 26 October when the Club joined forces with our coaching partner, Evolve Tennis Academy, to present a very special event as part of Tennis Australia’s inaugural All Abilities Week.
Committee and Club Members Glenn, Justine and husband Tony, Dave, Samantha, Ed, Kenny and Chi were at Collaroy bright and early to hang banners and bunting, arrange seating and tables and put up marquees to protect from showers and sun. Justine proved quite the signwriter, while Samantha created some wonderful ‘All Abilities’ hanging letter signs. As always for these special events, the Club looked a million dollars.
Wil was on hand to make sure our newly acquired speaker system worked a treat and took most of the great photos included in this post, while Mark W. lent his services for the day as Master Videographer. And Bill Woods was superb as our M.C., informing attendees of activities on every court and interviewing players and representatives of the various disability groups participating.
The involvement of all these volunteers proved again just how much talent we have within our Club.
All Abilities Week is a dedicated moment in the tennis calendar to raise the profile, awareness and opportunities for the 5.5 million Australians living with disability. The sport is committed to embracing diversity by making tennis welcoming, safe and inclusive for all. Around a hundred people in total visited our Club last 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 2025 CTC Wheelchair Championships, this year hosting world-ranked players Hayley Slocombe (World No. 66) and Sheridan Brown (World No. 122).
During a break between Senior and Junior Singles matches, Paula joined forces with Tennis Australia’s National Wheelchair Coach, Keagan McCrohon, to run a ‘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 were CTC Committee member Samantha and special guest, Tennis NSW Inclusion & Community Manager, Naskaya Rajah. Both were trying tennis in a chair for the first time and Naskaya later said: “I have a whole newfound respect for wheelchair players. That is not an easy thing to do!”
Meanwhile on Court 5, Evolve coaches Marianna and Flavio ran a session for junior players with Intellectual Disabilities including Autism (ID&A). M.C. Bill Woods invited young members of the audience to join in (via their parents), and it was an absolute pleasure to see so 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 four very talented Blind & Low Vision (BLV) players, including current World No. 1, Grace Hobbs and young national titleholder, Arato Katsuda-Green. Man, could these guys play!
BLV players play within a smaller court area using audible foam balls that make a noise when they bounce. Depending on the severity of their vision impairment, players receive either one, two or three bounces before they have to hit the ball.
It was incredible watching these players ‘listen’ for the ball and then make perfect contact every time. Collaroy members Dave and Ed tried playing, first wearing a series of ‘safety glasses’ designed to simulate various vision impairments and then a full mask, rendering them completely blind. While Dave handled the glasses well, still making good contact, it was a different story when wearing the mask, with lots of wild swinging and very little hitting.
Ed on the other hand adapted really well to the lack of sight, striking the audible ball back over the net on several occasions. (One club member, who shall remain nameless, was heard to comment, with just a hint of sarcasm: “Gee I thought Dave would be better than that… he’s used to playing blind.”)
On Court 6, a large contingent of players from Para-Standing Australia showed us why this fast-growing segment of the sport is now being embraced by the Grand Slams. The hope is that it will soon join Wheelchair Tennis as an official Paralympic Sport. Great friend of the Club, Michele Windsor, (who has previously won Tennis Seniors titles in Ulladulla with club members Kenny and Lynne), is the current Oceania Para-Standing Champion.
Short-statured Para-Standing player Kai Ryan, made the trip all the way from Newcastle to be part of our event. He and Dave took on Michele and Scott in a ‘friendly’ doubles match, with some great shots executed by all four. (Michele and Scott may have just won the match.)
A highlight of the day was the appearance of special guest, Wheelchair Tennis Legend, David Hall OAM and former Davis Cup Captain, Wally Masur. Before a crowd paying rapt attention, Wally interviewed David about his accident, his early days of playing tennis in a wheelchair and his rise to World Number 1.
David’s incredible record includes winning the US Open Wheelchair Tennis title eight times, the Australian Open nine times, British Open seven times and Japan Open eight times. He’s also a Paralympic Gold Medalist (Sydney 2000), six-time World Champion and finished as World No. 1 eight times during his amazing career. He recently released his autobiography ‘Superbeast’ and he took time after the interview to sign and dedicate copies of the book to people in the audience.
Club member Mark W. recorded the whole fascinating ‘fireside chat’ between two legends. When it’s properly edited, we’ll make sure it’s posted on the website for everyone to enjoy (or enjoy again).
The good people at Bunnings catered for us with a classic BBQ, while Collaroy members (notably Lavinia, Kate, Justine and Samantha) provided a fantastic spread of healthy nibbles for people to graze on throughout the day.
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.
Special guests who attended this event included Cr. Sue Heins – Mayor, Northern Beaches Council, Cr. Ruth Robins, Cr. Bob Giltinan, our own Ginette Porteous and Wayne Swaysland – both Tennis NSW Board Members, Keagan McCrohon – Tennis Australia National Wheelchair Development Coach and Naskaya Rajah – Inclusion & Community Manager, Tennis NSW.
Feedback from these and other attendees was universally positive. Some of their comments were:
“A big thank you for having me as a guest at Collaroy Tennis Club’s All Abilities Week event yesterday. It was an absolute pleasure to come along and see firsthand the incredible work your Club is doing to champion inclusion in sport. I especially appreciated the opportunity to get into a wheelchair myself - it really opened my eyes to the challenges and skills involved. The event was not only engaging but also delivered with such respect and care for the community. I’m confident it helped raise awareness and interest among potential new players of all abilities in the area.” - Naskaya Rajah, Inclusion & Community Manager, Tennis NSW
“Thanks for a wonderful day at your Club yesterday. My family and I traveled from Riverwood to be there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I am so grateful to fellow para-standing tennis player Michele Windsor for telling us about the day. I bought three copies of David Hall’s autobiography - one for myself, one for my coach and one for my children’s school tutor! Thanks again… Collaroy Tennis Club is such a wonderful venue.” - Mato Videka, Para-Standing Australia
“Congratulations on another fantastic afternoon at Collaroy Tennis Club. It was wonderful to see the all-abilities athletes showcasing their skills and the ‘newbies’ having a crack at our great sport. Thank you as always for including Leanne and myself - we love coming over to all the special days you hold.” - Wayne Swaysland, Tennis NSW Board Member
“What an absolutely incredible day at Collaroy. It’s clear the whole community really embraced 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, is exactly what this week is all about. My thanks to everyone at the Club and Evolve who helped bring it all to life. You’ve set a great example of what inclusive tennis looks like in action.” – Chris Okely, Inclusion and Diversity - All Abilities Lead, Tennis Australia
Thanks to Ryan, Scott and Paula for embracing this chance to collaborate with the Club. It certainly strengthened the valued partnership with Evolve, moving forward. And thanks to those club members like Yoness, Vito, Chi, Ros, Carmen and Richard who attended, along with our volunteer committee members.
These community events are an important part of what Collaroy Tennis Club is all about. We continue to hold them, primarily because it’s the right thing to do… and they also help to consolidate important relationships with the sport’s governing bodies, our sponsors and Council, from whom we lease the site.
Onward and upward!
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