Club to celebrate century
Horsham Croquet Club members are celebrating a century of history and sport in a milestone year for the club.
The first meeting of the proposed Horsham Croquet Club was at Horsham Town Hall on April 24, 1923 where people discussed the formation of a club if a suitable green could be found.
In May of the same year, 15 people attended the club’s first general meeting and Mrs D. Anderson was elected the president.
An idea was developed to have the Horsham Croquet Club and Horsham Lawn Tennis Club work together to have lawn courts established near the Horsham Botanic Gardens.
The club raised 180 pounds to have the court built and work began in March 1924.
A clubhouse for both clubs was opened on October 18, 1924, in line with the tennis season.
Current croquet club president Donna Frost said it was a ‘huge honour’ for a small club to survive 100 years.
“Here we are today, going strong and looking forward to a wonderful celebration of this milestone,” she said.
“We have good membership and it’s expensive to run a club at the
moment, so we think we’re doing pretty well.
“We have 45 members who are all pretty excited to be part of this moment.”
Ms Frost said the club raised money through bingo events to fund the current clubrooms, built in 1976.
“We still share the rooms with the tennis club and it works well,” she said.
“We have one end each, but it can be opened up when either club is hosting big tournaments.
“We have also had our lawns renovated a couple of times.”
The croquet club plays on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday each week, year-round.
“We have hosted lots of tournaments. People come from all states to our annual tournament, which is very successful,” Ms Frost said.
To celebrate the centenary, Ms Frost said Horsham Croquet Club was inviting current and former members to an afternoon tea and dinner celebration.
“We will have afternoon tea at the clubrooms followed by dinner at Glen Logan Restaurant on April 29,” she said.
“We hope to see as many former members there as possible.
“Some of us will be dressing up in period costumes to honour the 100 years since the first meeting of the club.”
Ms Frost said people interested in attending could RSVP to her on 0400 534 477 or Rae Hill on 0428 504 733 by April 8.