Centenary 2023

On 4 March 2023, Tennis ACT proudly hosted the 100 Years of Tennis ACT Gala Dinner at the National Arboretum – a special night bringing together players, volunteers, officials and tennis legends to honour a century of tennis in the ACT region and look ahead to an exciting future. 

Tennis in the Australian Capital Territory began on 21 March 1923 with the establishment of the Federal Territory Tennis Association. The first competitive season featured just five affiliate clubs competing in the A Grade Men’s Competition – Canberra, Eastlake, Northbourne, West Ridge and Queanbeyan (with Queanbeyan winning the inaugural title).

A hundred years later, the sport has grown remarkably – engaging more than 32,000 participants across clubs, schools and community programs throughout the region.

Explore a summary of our achievements every decade from 1923 to 2023:

The Centenary Gala was a celebration of people who helped shape our sport into what it is today and the memories made along the way:

• Attended by 350 guests from across Australia, including players, coaches, officials, volunteers, club committees and presidents, life members, Walk of Fame inductees, former TACT board members and staff, ACT Government and partners.
• Special guests included celebrated Australian tennis figures such as Nick Kyrgios, Neale Fraser, John Alexander, Wally Masur and Helen Gourlay, with the event hosted by MC John Fitzgerald.
• Two local tennis icons, Les Crawley MBE and Anne Haycock OAM, were inducted into the Tennis ACT Walk of Fame.
• Memorabilia from across the decades was on display, including historic trophies and artifacts.
• Viewing of the Country Week film, the oldest film footage of a Canberra tennis representative team (consisting of all Queanbeyan players) playing at White City in Sydney. It was the first time the film has been shown in Canberra since its last viewing in 1953 at the opening of Bill Freebody’s refurbished Star Theatre. Thanks to a chance discovery at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) last year, the restored film was able to be played to the Centenary Gala night audience.

The official centenary milestone on 21 March 2023 was commemorated with a special hit on the historic Lodge courts alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and top local players from the ACT Claycourt International, including Olivia Gadecki, Jaimee Fourlis and Priscilla Hon.

To document the journey from humble beginnings to today’s thriving tennis community, Tennis ACT released a comprehensive 100 Years of Tennis ACT publication in May 2023, thanks to the dedication and hard work of Dr Adrian Colin. This historical compilation highlights key events, achievements and milestones over the last century.

Download the publication: