Service To Tennis

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28362, 22 August 1957, Page 15

Service To Tennis

The Opawa Lawn Tennis ■ Club, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, elected two life members at its annual meeting recently. ' They are Mrs J. B. MacFarlane and Mr C. N. Franklin, both of whom have been associated with the club as players and officials for many seasons. • Mrs ' MacFarlane, who first joined the club in 1920 when her father was appointed headmaster of the Opawa school, recalls the days in which children were permitted tree uie of the courts. This was of course subject to the rights tit 'Hie Senior members, and the juniors played mostly before breakfast, gkid after"9ehool. She was first elected to the general committee of the club in 1926, and since then Mrs Mac Far-! lane has served in various capacities, as a member of several committees as women's club captain and as vice-president. Mrs MacFarlane played' for the club in inter-club matches for about 13 years, and later played in the women’s mid-week matches for a further 15 years, Since 1923, Mrs MacFarlane has attended every opening day of the club, and has missed only two general iheetings—these only because she was teaching at a country school at the time. Like Mrs MacFarlane, Mr Franklin will celebrate his fiftieth birthday in the same year■ as the club. He joined as a' junior in 1922. He was soon elected to the general committee, and later he held the positions of treasurer, secretary and club captain. After the war, Mr Franklin was elected president of the club, a position he still holds. i Both of the new life members recall well the hard times of the > club during the war, when its playing strength was reduced,' and it was a struggle to keep the club together. The innovation of the night tennis is commended by Mr Franklin as being a most progressive step, and the flood-lit courts are extremely popular.