Welcome to the Club End-of-Year Newsletter – December, 2018

PRESIDENT'S REPORT – by Paul Marcon

It has been another big year for our great Club!

The Executive Team consisting of Angela Jackson, Stephen Giacon and Frank Molinaro contribute an enormous amount of their personal time supporting the day to day administration of our Club. They have been instrumental in many on and off court improvements this year, and continue to contribute to the future improvement of our Club. Please be sure to thank them for their involvement and contribution next time you see them around the Club.

The General Committee consisting of Robert Ciavarella (Adult Night Convener), Ken Coleman (Club Newsletter), Des O’Brien (Junior Convener), Lauchlan Rewell (Membership Manager and Washout Coordinator), Alida McKern (Social Events & Landscape Design), Anthony Picciani (Building and Maintenance) and Tammy Smith (Stephen Smith Friendship Cup) have all made important contributions to the Club this year. There have been a couple of lengthy committee meetings during the year, so thank you very much to our Committee Members for seeing those through.

Earlier in the year, a Coaching Sub-committee was formed to assist the head coach tender evaluation and interview process. In total we received 15 expressions of interest, and each was ranked in accordance with a selection criteria developed by the Sub-committee. It had been quite some time since our Club had conducted a coaching services tender therefore, the aim was to commence broadly with a clear view of interviewing both small and larger coaching businesses. In total, 8 first round interviews were completed; 3 of those 8 parties were then shortlisted for a second round interview. The Sub-committee again developed a series of questions that addressed the identified needs of the Club (including our School Parish), and this resulted in generating excellent discussion during interviews.

The Sub-committee developed great insight into current coaching trends in our area, and how they might be adapted at St John’s. Again, a scoring criteria was used to assess performance in the second round interviews, and ultimately a unanimous decision was made to appoint Nectar Davos and his team from Tennis Train as the successful applicants, to provide full coaching services at our Club from 2019. Thank you to those involved in the selection process and on behalf of the entire Club I would like to extend a warm welcome to Nectar and his team.

Along with a change in coach, the Club has negotiated a new court lease arrangement for Saturday & Sunday junior competition at St Kevin’s Primary School, Templestowe. We are looking forward to working closely with St Kevin’s to bring our members more playing opportunities.In regards to competition teams we continue to field strong numbers across Friday Night / Saturday Morning Juniors and Ladies' / Mens' and Veterans' adult teams.

In November this year I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast presentation for Presidents of sporting clubs in the city of Banyule. The key note speaker was Rod Butters, ex St Kilda Club President. Aside from speaking about his very colorful life and career, Rod spoke about ‘connection’ and ‘participation’ in sport and the value this provides to individuals in our community. I recall sitting there thinking that our Club is particularly solid in both of these areas, something we can all be really proud of, and I encourage all members to continue to contribute in their own way in 2019 – participation and volunteer contribution is what makes our Club great!

Please enjoy this bumper Christmas edition newsletter and have a great, and safe Christmas.

Paul MarconPresident SJCTC

JUNIOR CLUB REPORTS

NEJTA Saturday Morning Competition Report – by Des O'Brien

In what can be described as a character building season for our top junior teams, the members of those teams are to be congratulated on rising to the challenges presented to them.Our Section 1 Girls Team was depleted due to the unavailability of players during the season and competed with great spirit despite being under resourced. The team finished the season with the very worthy title of being “the big improvers”, being very competitive over the later part of the season.

The top boys’ team was relegated to Section 2 with the Club having applied for Section 1. The team convincingly won the grand final in Section 2 . These teams were presented with challenges that could have been faced in one of two ways, either given up through disappointment or stand up to the challenge. They responded in the manner which we would expect from such fine young men and women, they stood up to the challenge. We are proud of them and they were fine representatives of our Club.The Section 3 Girls Team, after being on top of the ladder for the season, won the grand final by the narrowest of margins,1 game.

The Section 4 Girls Team represented the club with great spirit and won a number of matches over the season. Some members of the team are capable of playing at a higher level and we look forward to that occurring next season.

The Section 8 Girls too, were handicapped by player unavailability during the season. Finishing 4 th

on the ladder, the team was up against the top team in the semi final and went down after some great play.

The Boys Section 6 and 10 Teams finished 5th, narrowly missing out on the finals by the equivalent of 1 set.

Boys Section 21 won through to the grand final having finished in top position on the ladder. Although level on sets at the end, the team narrowly lost the grand final on games.Our Section 16 Boys also made it through to the finals going down in the semi finals.Our girls and boys play the game in great spirit and represent the Club in a way such that we are proud of them.

The Committee’s work in getting the teams onto the courts each week would not happen without the support of our Team Managers and we thank them for their contribution.

At this time we bid farewell to those of our juniors who “age out”, that is have reached the “retirement age” of 18. We will miss Belinda Carlyon, Joanne Qiu, Sam Pringle, Cate Meese and Sam Scala-Mcneill. Sam Scala- Mcneill leaves us to go on a tennis scholarship to university in USA. He will do well. We thank them all for their contributions to SJCTC. They are very fine young people, and have been great ambassadors and role models for many seasons at SJCTC.

As mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter we welcome our new coach, Nectar Davos and his team.Under their guidance we can look forward to the future of our club.

Boys Section 2 Premiers James Sam Ben Ryan

Absent – Max (injured) & James Murray (on an overseas School Community Aid Programme)

Girls Section 3 PremiersEmily B. Petria Emily M. Cate Olivia

Absent - Ursula

Boys Section 21 Runners-up Matthew Ashton Joel Daniel Eli

An Important Date to Remember !

Sunday 27th January All Juniors are asked to come along to the Club to meet and greet their Autumn 2019

Team Members. The new SJCTC uniforms will be

distributed and a sausage sizzle provided.

Friday Night DVTA Juniors Competition - Spring 2018 - by Stephen Giacon

At the completion of the Spring Season our Section 1 Team, consisting of regular players James Murray, Joshua Meng, Tim Abrahams and Medinah Fuataga with Belinda Carlyon helping out the team when work allowed, finished 6th just 1 win away from the top 4. Wash outs didn’t help during the season, but they enjoyed 5 wins, 3 of which were just by 1 game each time. They all plan to continue on next season, back in Section 1. Thanks go to Carmel Abrahams as Team Manager, and The Murrays as backup when required.

Unfortunately, our Section 3 Team, where we had Michael Ball, Tim and Aiden Colfer, Charlotte and Jamie Tax, Adam McKern and Jennifer Ou who filled in at late notice several times, found it tough in this strong Section 3 . They won twice with 1 washout making them finish last. I am happy to say they enjoyed the challenge of playing strong players, and never gave up, losing 3 matches along the way being even in sets but only down a few games. We sadly say good bye to our third team in 2019 with Charlotte and younger brother Travis Tax, who reluctantly leave with other commitments conflicting, so I must give a big thanks to parents Karen/Edward Tax for taking on the role of Team Manager.

Our new team in Section 4, playing at St James TC had several players but, in the end, the regular players were Zac Marcon, doing a marvellous job playing number 1 all season, with Grace Murray and Lucas McKern, then Ursula and Indy Hendy at times when emergencies were required, and Daniel Bone. Thanks go to Alida McKern for taking on the Manager’s role for 1st time with the Murrays as a backup. They finished 5th just 1 washout away on percentage, having won 4 games and 2 washouts. They were in the 4 into the last round but lost to Norris Bank who were equal with them. They just lost by a set and 11 games having Zac out of the team. I popped by and was amazed how much they had improved from the first round. With some stability, and the same players keen to play on, and with players from the disbanded Section 3 team, we are hoping we can make the finals in Section 3 in 2019. They look forward playing at our home courts at St John’s.

SENIOR CLUB REPORTS

Night Teams Report for Spring 2018 – End of Season – By Rob Ciavarella

The Spring 2018 season has ended, and I can report that St John’s were successful in winning 2 grand finals with Vets 5 and Women’s 8 securing their pennants. Well done to Peter Candido and Judy Pullyblank's Teams for a fantastic season and result. A special mention to Vets 3 that played off in the grand final but could not get over the line, losing by 2 games against Eaglemont.The season was punctuated by wash-outs with rains seemingly timing their downfalls on Tuesday and Wednesday nights!!

Below are the ladder positions at conclusion of the season:

Competition Section Ladder Position

Comments

Women’s 8 1st – 164 ptsPREMIERS

Judy Pullyblank’s team were successful in winning the grand final, 5 sets to 1, against Northcote YMCA. Well done to Judy and team.

“” 10 6th – 100 pts Janine Marcon’s team managed 5 wins and draw this season and look to have done enough to stay in this section.

“” 11 7th – 42 pts Carmel Abrahams' team found the going tough this season and will look forward to some better results next season.

Men’s 8 7th – 92 pts Ben McAuliffe’s team also found the going tough and may have just staved off relegation. Here’s hoping for some success next season.

“” 10 7th – 82 pts Paul Marcon’s team finished a close 7th and should be safe from relegation. Better luck next season.

“” 11 8th – 50 Pts Jeremy Foenander’s team struggled this season and might have to hit the training track to improve for next season.

Vets 3 3rd – 122 pts Graham Cowley’s team had a very good season and played off in the grand final against Eaglemont but unfortunately went down by 2 games (3 sets all). Great effort.

“” 5 1st – 174 pts Peter Candido’s team blitzed this section and the grand final with 6 sets to love win against Viewbank1. Another successful season for this team and looking forward to promotion to a higher section next season.

“” 6 6th – 90 pts Mark De Villiers’ team finished mid-table and hope to improve next season.

“” 7 4th – 112 pts Stephen Giacon’s team managed to scrape into the finals by 2 points which was a great effort. However, they went down to Karingal Drive, 5 sets to 1, who were too strong in the semi-final.

“” 9(1) 4th – 116 pts Ken Coleman’s team did very well to finish fourth and play off in the semi-final against Yallambie2 but went down, 4 sets to 2. Well done.

“” 9(2) 5th - 108 pts Lauchlan Rewell’s team came home with a wet sail and managed to finish strongly but not quite enough to get into finals. Good luck next season.

Thanks once again to team captains for managing teams and scrounging around for players and we wish you all the best for next season.For the Mens' and Vets' Teams to help keep up your tennis playing abilities over the holiday period there are practice hits on a Tuesday night commencing at 7pm. You may see some WhatsApp notifications come through on your phones announcing that the sessions are on, so keep any eye out for them.Merry Christmas to all and hope you have a joyous New Year!

Rob CiavarellaSt John’s Night Convenor

Thursday Afternoon Metro Masters Competition

The Metro Masters Competition is a very sociable competition, in which matches are played in a competitive, friendly spirit, and this Spring Season has proven to be quite a challenging, and enjoyable season for our three Thursday afternoon teams.

At the end of the home and away games, our three Teams finished in the same positions on the ladder as they held during most of the season. Section 3 finished in 3rd position, Section 5 found the competition challenging, and remained in 6th position, and Section 6 continued their good form and, as a result of a convincing win in the last match, finished in first position by the margin of 1 point. Both Sections 3 and 6 went on to contest very close semi-finals, but unfortunately success was not to be ours. Section 3 lost by 3 games and the Section 6 by the narrow margin of 1 game. As mentioned in the previous newletter, both Sections 3 and 6 needed to call on quite a number of emergencies during the season as a result of player injury, other commitments and inevitable, but enjoyable travel. Thanks go to all those players who willingly helped out as emergencies.

At the end of the season, most of our players attended the Metro Masters Tennis Association End-of-Year/Presentation Luncheon held at the Veneto Club. This was a very enjoyable occasion, and it was noted that the number of St. Johns' players attending reflected one of the best represented clubs at the luncheon. A further indication of the fellowship within our Club, and the support it shows for this competition. Next season we will once again be fielding three teams, and we are currently awaiting the section gradings, and will be aiming for improved success.

CLUB ACTIVITIES

SJCTC Ladies Night – by Alida McKern

The inaugural SJCTC Ladies Night was held on Friday 12th October at The Barkly Hotel.It was well attended by 15 of our lady members who enjoyed drinks and nibbles over lively conversation and good camaraderieIt was also a great opportunity for both life and newer members to meet in a relaxed atmosphere. Special thanks to life members Dorothy Close, Dorothy Cooper, Donna Richardson, Chris George and Judy Pullyblank, for their attendance. Our lifers exchanged stories of years gone by at the Club and it was an opportunity for us more recent members to appreciate the long and special history of St Johns Tennis ClubMuch interest was expressed in catching up over dinner in 2019…so stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in this new St Johns tradition!A big thank you to the SJCTC Committee for supporting this initiative, and thank you to Ange Jackson for her hard work in helping to organise the evening.

Tuesday 6 November - A Big Day Out at SJCTC – Report by Alida McKern

At least two big events marked the 2018 Cup Weekend (other than racing horses!) for our Club.

The first was the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser: pouring rain was no barrier for kind shoppers who spent up to the tune of a profit of $880.71for the Club.A big thank you goes out to our brave volunteers who took on the serious job of cooking and selling snags.

Numerous creative makeshift solutions were employed to keep rain off the food and the people - at one point we had one of our team keeping customers dry by holding up an umbrella at the serving counter!!!

After all the hard work of raising funds, it was time for St Johns Annual Cup BBQ and Social Tennis: what a relief that the clouds cleared for a pleasant afternoon of good ole fashioned fun over a hit of tennis and a robust meal.

Thank you to our members who contributed to a lovely evening of community - which after all is one the winning elements of SJCTC

Keep the date !for the upcoming Bunnings Sausage Sizzle scheduled for Saturday 9th February. We'll need all hands on deck (and a lot more onions), and hopefully lots of sunscreen rather than umbrellas; should be a big day !

Kitchen Up-grade

Those who have visited our clubhouse in recent weeks will no doubt have noticed the installation of a new improved stove/oven. This has been a great improvement to the kitchen facilities and our sincere thanks must go to our Vietnamese Club Members for their very generous contribution towards the cost of the purchase and installation. We also note that Vietnamese Members have previously made significant contributions towards the cost of re-surfacing of the courts. Thank you for your generosity and valuable contribution towards the Club.

Some of our hardy volunteers who braved the elements at the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

Fundraiser, both Seniors and Juniors alike.

Good company, good food, and good cheer at the Annual Cup BBQ and Social Tennis

Friday Morning Social Group End-of-Year Lunch

On Friday 7th Dec. The Friday Morning Social Group Players enjoyed their annual End-of-Year Luncheon which was held in the clubrooms. It was terrific to see many of our current and past players come together to enjoy both the fellowship, and fine food. Of particular interest is the fact we had in attendance all the Club Presidents who held office from 1983 to 2016, except 2. I think all will agree that this is fine recognition of the spirit and character of our Club.

Stephen Smith/SJCTC Friendship Day Doubles Championships - Report by Stephen Giacon

Our second Stephen Smith SJCTC Friendship Doubles Championships started on Sunday 25 th

November at 8 am on a cloudy, misty morning. This year we had 40 registered players of whom 18 were new entrants, and 10 unfortunately couldn’t make it. This year we had players from our Vietnamese/Sunday Social Group with Night Competition Mens,Veterans, and Ladies players and other Club Members entered, and then seeded as doubles combinations.We had 4 groups of 5 seeded doubles playing round robin fast 4 games. Games won were tallied and the top 2 teams in each group then took on the opposite group's top two. Once the misty rain lifted in the first 45 minutes, we had great conditions, especially by the 2 pm quarter final stage. Play was halted at 12.30 pm to have a magnificent group photo taken, and a surprise presentation to Des O’Brien, being awarded a Tennis Victoria Tennis Service Award – a fine recognition of the voluntary service he has given to tennis at St Johns. Go to the following link to the Tennis Vic website to read more about Des’ accolades, and what he has done for the Club over 38 years. https://www.tennis.com.au/vic/news/2018/11/29/des-obrien-honored-on-special-day-at-sjctc

Des with Tennis Vic. Representative Steph who presented the awardCongratulations, Des

It was great to see Pam Smith, with daughters Tammy and Petria, together with Barbara Smith, Stephen’s mother, and his aunt Pauline Griffiths, in attendance.

The semi-finals were played in sunny, pleasant conditions after a magnificent lunch of charcoal grilled squid , sausages and marinated lamb (Thanks to Angela and John, Phi Thai and Ken Nguyen for their donations of food) .

Our Grand Final saw Hieu Huyhn, playing with Michael Cao against Thanh-Thuan Nguyen (last year's winner) combined with a new partner, John Nguyen. The final looked all over at 5-0 in Thanh-Thuan and John's favour, but then saw a comeback by Hieu and Michael to 5-2, but unfortunately leaving their run too late to lose 6-2 to Thanh-Thuan and John.

Again, all had an enjoyable day with a friendly competitive atmosphere of tennis and community fellowship. Stephen Smith would have approved. Thanks to Nectar Davos our new Tennis Coach, Tennis Victoria, and St Johns Tennis Club for the raffle prizes, the main prize being won by Cheryl Chin. After costs we were able to raise $771.85 which was donated to the ONJ Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. They have indicated that the funds will be allocated to a new project about using sport as a tool to fight cancer, something Stephen Smith strongly believed helped him survive longer than predicted, and that playing tennis helped him fight his bowel cancer.

We continue to plan our yearly Singles Club Championships in March, and The Stephen Smith Friendship Doubles Championships in October.

Club Vice-President, Stephen Giacon presenting the cheque for

the funds raised to a representative of the Olivia

Newton John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre

Participants and supporters – Stephen Smith Friendship Day Doubles Championships 2018

Proud Winners - John & Thanh-Thuan

Friendship Day Memories !

A warm welcome was extended to Griffin Ward Councillor,

Cr Peter Castaldo, who kindly attended the occasion.

The finalists -Runners-up : Michael & HieuWinners : John & Thanh-Thuan

Photos – courtesy of John Nguyen

Sunday Vietnamese Group Annual ChampionshipsRecently our Vietnamese Members held their Annual Doubles Championships.

A great day was had by all, and congratulations go to all the participants, and of course, the trophy winners.

DUTCH GINGER CAKE – Recipe courtesy of Judy PullybankJudy provided this cake at one of our recent Club Social Functions and it was very well received,

with many requests for the recipe.

Winners are Grinners -Wong Hieu Matthew Neil John Daniel Cuc

Juanita Cheryl Ly

The Champions -John and Daniel

Why not try this for Christmas – perhaps a nice addition to go with the Christmas Cake !

1 3/4 cups plain flour1 cup castor sugar125g glace ginger1 egg185g butter30g blanched almonds

Sift flour, add sugar and chopped ginger, mix in melted butter and egg.Press mixture into well greased 20cm sandwich tin. Brush top with a little milk,decorate with almonds. Bake in moderate oven 45 minutes, cool in tin, cut intowedges to serve.

Wishing al Members, teir Families and Friends a Peaceful and Joyful Christmas

&A Very Happy New Year