It's been a long time coming – but the Winstone Tennis Club now has a $950,000 pavilion to call its own.

The Mt Roskill-based club will celebrate with an opening ceremony on Sunday to recognise its members' hard work over the last seven years.

In 2005 the club was moved to Akarana Ave in Mt Roskill to make way for the extension of State Highway 20 which was to run right through the club's former grounds.

This move meant members have been without a club building for seven years and sharing a premises with the Mt Roskill Men's Bowling Club.

Winstone club president Jennifer Glass says members can't wait to have their own building again.

"We missed out on easy access to the courts by not having a pavilion and it just wasn't convenient," she says.

The brand new pavilion houses a large kitchen along with an office, bathrooms, a storage room, a bar and a big public area with a fireplace and pool table.

It features a large deck that runs alongside the five tennis courts.

Mrs Glass says the new facilities have made a big difference.

"It's just lovely having modern facilities.

"The deck also means wonderful viewing for the tennis and there are nice facilities for people to come in and mix and mingle."

Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency assisted with the move and the building of the pavilion.

Treasurer Colin Steven is glad the club can now better provide for the community.

"It was a very difficult building site, we effectively were building over an old swamp. It has consumed us for the last eight months at least."

Fellow long-time club member Ian Shroff was involved in the project.

"This is my bucket list. To see this come to fruition, it really has been a plan that has been 15 years in the making," he says.

The club was founded in 1936.

Puketapapa Local Board member Michael Wood will open the building at Sunday's ceremony. Visitors can play tennis from 1.30pm and the ceremony will begin at 3pm.

Winstone Tennis Club is at 17 Akarana Ave, Mt Roskill. Call 6255553 if you'd like to attend the opening.

– Ciara Pratt is an AUT journalism student

- © Fairfax NZ News

Comments