New courts opened at O¯ mokoroa tennis Club
Western Bay mayor Garry Webber cut the ribbon¯to open two new courts at the Omokoroa Community Tennis Club on Saturday.
Conditions were perfect at the Western Avenue courts where a group including Councillors, staff and club members gathered for the informal ceremony.
Club chairman Andrew Dallas spoke about the development of the tennis club in O¯ mokoroa.
“In 2015 our first two courts — the ones where we’re standing on — were built and the club’s gone from strength to strength. We’ve now got over 100 members with 40 juniors playing on a Saturday morning. Here we stand in December 2018 with four courts, which turns us into a club.
“With the new sports pavilion well promoted by the O¯ mokoroa Sport and Recreation Society, it is fantastic for us.
“You don’t get these things without people.”
He thanked Council for support of the club and funders Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and the NZ Community Trust.
Garry acknowledged the work of everyone involved, especially past O¯ mokoroa Community Board chairman Glenn Whittaker and Gordon Taylor for convincing the council of the day to invest in the facilities. He paid tribute to Vicky Knell, who started repurposing the O¯ mokoroa Point School facilities and proposing the tennis facilities, skate path and playground be located at Western Ave, and Judy Sampson and Steve Wall, who took up the challenge of raising the funding for the tennis courts and Vicky and her team for the Skate Path.
“While I know that Council is regularly criticised for taking too long to do stuff, I am also mindful of the saying — ‘good things come to those who wait’.”