{"id":29763,"date":"2023-02-21T13:35:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T02:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/?p=29763"},"modified":"2023-02-21T13:35:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T02:35:13","slug":"humans-of-country-week-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/news\/2023\/02\/21\/humans-of-country-week-2023","title":{"rendered":"Humans of Country Week 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Humans of Country Week<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Throughout the week, there have been some exciting stories from Country Week 2023. Whether players have been at Country Week for 40 years or if this year was their first time, Country Week is a wonderful time to reunite with friends, family and play some great tennis on the lawn courts. We inducted our Country Week Legends this week, and you can read all about them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/news\/2023\/02\/13\/four-new-tennis-victoria-country-week-legends-inducted\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Culcairn Silverbacks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29749\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331372706_725831689010731_801443266939556771_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331372706_725831689010731_801443266939556771_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331372706_725831689010731_801443266939556771_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331372706_725831689010731_801443266939556771_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Culcairn Silverbacks were not always called the Silverbacks. However, when Keith McElhinney started going grey early, the team decided to rebrand. The team is mostly made up of different generations of family and have been coming to Country Week for over 24 years. Hopefully their Silverback bear can be their good luck charm!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jo Baker and Veronica Roache<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330839856_1938670009802787_4356444606560426068_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330839856_1938670009802787_4356444606560426068_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330839856_1938670009802787_4356444606560426068_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330839856_1938670009802787_4356444606560426068_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When opponents Jo Baker and Veronica Roache met each other at the net, they reunited after Jo was Veronica\u2019s teacher in Apollo Bay in the 70s! The pair played at the same club for a few years after high school but matching up as opponents at Country Week is a first!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Kelly Gang<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29747\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331294693_580185527053601_4637654616045884999_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331294693_580185527053601_4637654616045884999_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331294693_580185527053601_4637654616045884999_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331294693_580185527053601_4637654616045884999_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hannah, Bridget, Rebecca, Alice, Lauren and Elaine from the Kelly Gang are Country Week first-timers! Hannah and Bridget were watching on the sidelines in Swan Hill last year but were inspired to pick up the racquet for the first time ever and join the Kelly Gang! All the girls have had a fun and successful first two days of Country Week<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sandra Allen<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29752\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331399528_1263959841217691_7542942023703070809_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331399528_1263959841217691_7542942023703070809_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331399528_1263959841217691_7542942023703070809_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331399528_1263959841217691_7542942023703070809_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Country Week 2023 is Sandra\u2019s 40th consecutive Country Week! Sandra was appointed a Country Week Legend in 2020 after her contribution to the tournament over the years. Sandra has had many memories over the years at Country Week but loves seeing her friends and the community come together every year for some fun competition &#x1f4aa;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Match Makers <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29745\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330482650_1843727352649444_4516485602418811002_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330482650_1843727352649444_4516485602418811002_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330482650_1843727352649444_4516485602418811002_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330482650_1843727352649444_4516485602418811002_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><br \/>\nSerena, Phillipa, Majella, Helen and Lisa from the Match Makers have been travelling to play at Tennis Victoria\u2019s Country Week from Brisbane every year for the last four years! The ladies love coming down to Victoria for the event to play some tennis and reunite with their friends they\u2019ve met along the way &#x1f970;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Langstaff family <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331397813_1246699659255488_4693101051304162480_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331397813_1246699659255488_4693101051304162480_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331397813_1246699659255488_4693101051304162480_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331397813_1246699659255488_4693101051304162480_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Travelling four and a half hours from Leongatha, the Langstaff family have had a long history at Country Week with three generations of the family playing this year for the first time! Neil has attended since 1997, and now his 15 year old grandson Zac and 13 year old grandson Ethan are continuing the tradition<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Goulburn Murray Grinders <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29751\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331333262_937392670949542_7917876805037028750_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331333262_937392670949542_7917876805037028750_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331333262_937392670949542_7917876805037028750_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/331333262_937392670949542_7917876805037028750_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><br \/>\nEllie, Hope, Sabrina, Ella and Gen from the Goulburn Murray Grinders came to their first Country Week this year! The Uni students are lucky to not start for another few weeks so they\u2019ve made the most of their break. The team have had an amazing week and look forward to coming back every year!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Patty\u2019s team<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330855957_570821918410137_4568372616950139913_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330855957_570821918410137_4568372616950139913_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330855957_570821918410137_4568372616950139913_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/330855957_570821918410137_4568372616950139913_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kaye Anderson, Joy Woodham, Gerry Stephens, Carmel Wileman, Jo Baker and Heather Lees and Glenda Dempster from Patty\u2019s Team are all Country Week veterans.<\/p>\n<p>Kaye Anderson from Patty&#8217;s Team has been coming to Country Week for over 29 years. Featuring our Country Week Legend, Carmel Wileman, the whole team are full of legendary ladies. They are from all over Victoria but have a special bond and play with each other yearly. Some of their highlights include winning their final in 2001, but every year where they get to play together is their favourite part of Country Week. Special shoutout to long time Country Week member Lyn Rodgers who had to have knee reconstruction and couldn&#8217;t make it this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sylvia McClean\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-standard-landscape wp-image-29759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/329533160_1497851580738311_4614861002431887060_n-700x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/329533160_1497851580738311_4614861002431887060_n-700x450.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/329533160_1497851580738311_4614861002431887060_n-360x230.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/files\/2023\/02\/329533160_1497851580738311_4614861002431887060_n-200x128.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIt\u2019s the most amazing event in the world, everyone needs to know about it!\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Sylvia has been visiting Country Week for the last five years all the way from England! Sylvia has friends in Australia and after coming to her first Country Week, has come back ever since. She loves escaping the cold English winter to play on the grass courts in Victoria. Sylvia is part of the team \u2018Acing Gracefully\u2019 who won the C1 section!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Humans of Country Week Throughout the week, there have been some exciting stories from Country Week 2023. Whether players have been at Country Week for 40 years or if this year was their first time, Country Week is a wonderful time to reunite with friends, family and play some great tennis on the lawn courts. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6366,"featured_media":29747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}