Tasmania our last trip for 2014

As you can see from the beautiful picture above on Mount Wellington overlooking Hobart, it was a cloudy day but once again we managed to dodge any bad weather.

Evonne and Mia having a laugh

Our last Come and Try Day for 2014 was held at the Glenorchy Tennis Club. We were welcomed back for the second time by Julie Fletcher and once again a wonderful array of food was prepared and served by a large team of friendly and hospitable club members.

"You can start playing when I lower my racquet!!"

Thanks also to Tania Wilton of the South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Cooperation (SETAC) for her organisational help. Our staff made some valuable contacts before and during our visit and we look forward to developing our program further in Tassie in 2015.

Reach for the sky at our 'Come and Try.'

The action on the courts was fast and furious but all the youngsters handled it well. Our coaching crew commented how well the girls and boys responded to their directions. A particular "thumbs up" to St James Catholic College for making the trip up from Cygnet to attend the day. Some of their students turned out to be real media stars as they were interviewed by ABC local radio!

 

 

Come and Try in Sale, VIC

On Nov 18 we were at Sale Tennis Club for our third year. It was quite fresh and a little overcast early on so Evonne had all 55 youngsters go inside the clubhouse. She talked to them about the importance of healthy eating and education - she stressed how she had been determined to keep studying and how she finished High School and then took a secretarial course before trying her luck on the international pro tennis tour.

Everyone is very intrigued by Evonne  talking about Health, Education and particularly the importance of staying at school.

Ultimately this is what our program is about - staying in school, being healthy and having fun enjoying exercise - and it's great when all the family becomes involved.

"Come and Try'  are family days with of 3 generations of this family posing here with Evonne.

As usual, the sun came out in time to greet the girls and boys as they made there way out onto the courts. EGF Head Coach Anzac Liedig said “Our coaching staff really enjoyed seeing the kids try new tennis shots and we look forward to seeing the hot shot kids improve as they continue to learn the game”.

Evonne and our Coaches Matt Fuller and Baden Barker teaching and encouraging the Hot Shot kids.

We would like to give a special thank you to Dr Ali Khan from Ramahyuck Aboriginal Cooperative for working in partnership with us for the third year helping us with contacts throughout the area. His staff supplied fruit and salads for everyone and we thank all the Ramahyuck folks who assisted on the day.

Evonne with Dr Ali Khan and some of the happy participants.

Finally a big loud 'THANK YOU'  to Sale TC President Robin Lowe for continuing to host our day and to Sale Head Coach Nick Ward and his staff for their help. See you all soon!

Great visit to Bairnsdale

Mid November our Goolagong Foundation team had their bags packed ready to travel to Victoria. First stop Bairnsdale. On the 17 Nov we had the pleasure of being on court with 73 Aboriginal children at the Bairnsdale Tennis Club, which was an increase of participants from the previous year. Once again, the children came from all over the East Gippsland area. 

Evonne with Aunty Dottie who delivered a warm and beautiful 'Welcome to Country'

We are so pleased with of all the kids that participated. They definitely made their community proud by showing great behaviour, listening intently and they had a fantastic attitude both on and off the court. Well done kids!

Can you spot Anzac, Evonne and Bairnsdale Head Pro Aiden?

A big thank you to Peter Ryan and fellow staff members from the Gippsland & East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative (GEGAC), for supplying healthy snacks for everyone and helping out on the day. A special thanks to Linda Radford for cooking the BBQ.

We love seeing the courts full

We welcomed Victorian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Tim Bull and we appreciate his giving of his time right before an election and also for inspiring everyone with his speech. Thanks to East Gippsland Mayor Peter Neal who also came to support our day. 

Left Local Mayor Peter Neal, Evonne and David Downie the President of Bairnsdale Tennis Club

Thanks again to David Downie, President of the Bairnsdale Tennis Club for hosting us again and to  Aiden Fitzgerald (Head Coach-Bairnsdale Club) and his coaching staff for helping us make such a massive success of our day.

Evonne Goolagong Foundation Head Coach Anzac Leidig with some happy players including local Toby Radford (yellow hat)  who has been selected for the Goolagong National Development Camp 2015. Congratulations to all on giving of their best. 

Alice in Tennisland!

From Darwin, we set off to the desert to prepare for another LEL Come and Try Day in Alice Springs, which was held on Wednesday the 17th of September.

The excitement was building as the children arrived and the coaches were thrilled to see so many smiling and happy kids! Over 90 youngsters attended, some of them travelling from afar to take part. Well done you guys! 

                                 Evonne with a bunch of happy kids in Alice

After an inspirational chat from Evonne, the kids hit the court to show off their skills. The Foundation crew always love to see the natural talent on display from our Indigenous kids most of whom are trying tennis for the first time.

                             Evonne having a yarn to the kids

Evonne and Roger love seeing young Aboriginal children enjoying themselves, especially when playing tennis. Evonne says "we just want to urge the kids to come along and have fun. If they have enough fun they'll keep playing. We want to keep the kids in school and to teach and encourage them to live healthy lives."

                All courts packed to the max in Alice

A BBQ lunch and some fun games to finish off the day had Evonne and Roger and the team walking away happy with the success of the NT trip.

We would like to thank Matt Roberts (Head Coach -Alice Tennis Club) and all the communities, schools, teachers, helpers and of course the kids who attended. A special thanks to Cathy Farrer and staff from Rec link (a national organisation that helps disadvantaged youngsters) for working so hard and helping with the BBQ.

Remember " DREAM - BELIEVE - LEARN - ACHIEVE and keep smiling just like this happy group!

Darwin Done and Dusted!

We love the NT!  Successful LEL Tennis Come and Try Days, the colourful history, rich Indigenous culture and the amazing weather all contributed to our fab trip.

On Monday the 15th Sept, we were in Darwin at The Gardens Tennis Club. Our coaches were really excited to kick off the first Tennis Day for the NT and couldn't wait to get out on court.

                                         Having fun and looking good for camera!

As we move around the country we always try to partner with local Aboriginal Health Services. This is an important part of our program as we try to teach and promote better health for Aboriginal youngsters. In 2012 we launched our NT program at Danila Dilba Health Service and once again we were delighted as they offered to help with our Tennis Day in Darwin this year.

We would like to give a special thanks to Delsey Tamiano (Coordinator Youth Service) for providing staff to assist on the day and for supplying delicious fruit and salads.

                         Evonne with Danila Dilba Staff. Delsey Tamiano pictured on the right

A big thanks to the President of The Gardens Tennis Club, Andrew Hawke for hosting us and to all staff members that helped on the day.  We had an amazing time and we appreciate all the schools that attended and their teachers that assisted so well on and off court. Thanks guys!

We are delighted that one of our new Scholarship Holders Serena Adams from Darwin Middle School who will be starting at Pymble Ladies College in 2015 was able to attend. She proved to be a wonderful role model for all those taking part. Also thanks to Indigenous Tennis Coach Harry-Lee Schell and Naiomi Fellows of The Gardens Tennis Club for your contribution on the day.

Left to right - Harry, Evonne, Serena, Adam and Baden - all great ambassadors for the program 

We met Jess Mauboy today at the Darwin Airport!

Our coaches arrived in Darwin today and met the gorgeous Jessica Mauboy! Great start to our week in the Northern Territory :)

Goolagong Foundation Crew with Evonne and Jessica Mauboy

Darwin Look Out!

This weekend, our Evonne Goolagong Foundation crew set off to the Northern Territory to embark on yet another week of Come and Try days.

On Monday 15 Sept we will be in Darwin at The Gardens Tennis Club, Gilruth Ave and Wednesday 17 Sept we will be at Alice Springs Tennis Club, Traeger Ave.

Come along and have a hit of tennis and get some professional tips from our Indigenous coaches. Both days are from 10am-2pm and a free BBQ!

 We are looking forward to the beautiful weather, having fun and meeting lots of young Aboriginal children. Who knows, we may just come across the next Evonne Goolagong? 

 This week Evonne and Roger met with some potential sponsorship partners on the Gold Coast and Brisbane including Friends of Tennis at The Southport School. Friends of Tennis have some exciting plans for the Saunders Tennis Academy and for the development of further Indigenous Scholarship at the School.

They caught up with two of our scholarship holders Jesse Russell, Hobart, TAS and Dwayne Anderson, Narromine, NSW. These two young fullas received a scholarship through the Goolagong Foundation at The Southport School in the Gold Coast last year. They are both doing us proud and succeeding both academically and athletically.

This photo was taken at the courts of the Saunders Tennis Academy at The Southport School. From left Jesse Russell, Dwayne Anderson, Evonne and Terry Saunders the STA boss.

Beautiful Bunbury

We had a fabulous spring day in Bunbury last Friday with boys and girls
from 5 different local schools attending, doubling our number of attendees
from the town since our last visit in 2012. Most of our participants were primary age
children.

                                    Future tennis champions and University Scholars?

Evonne spent a lot of time explaining the importance of staying at school
to both parents and children - exactly as she did, whilst enjoying her sport.

Press coverage was great with local radio stations advertising prior to
the day and two local newspapers attending as well as the Western
Australian Sunday Times.

                                                    Evonne receiving tennis tips from two young champs!

A big thank you to Bunbury Tennis Club for hosting and the local coaches
Andrew, Kyle and Josh for helping on the day. Special thanks to Michelle
Munns who organised helpers from the Aboriginal Health Service. We
appreciate everyone involved in making our day a success!

                             Kevin and Marcus both aged 10, enjoying the tennis.

This week before leaving for Northern Territory on Saturday, Evonne and
Roger will be in Brisbane and the Gold Coast meeting with potential
sponsorship partners. Also on the Gold Coast they will be visiting two of
our scholarship holders Jesse Russell from Hobart, TAS and Dwayne Anderson from
Narromine, NSW who attend The Southport School.

                                 Combing cricket and tennis on the courts

Stay tuned for our next trip to NT!

Keep Smiling.
"Game, Set and Match"

Successful day in Narrogin!

What a day we had in Narrogin. The weather was great and the kids were very enthusiastic and enjoyed being out on court. 

 A total of 76 children in Narrogin, all looking deadly in our Evonne Goolagong Foundation shirts

We are very pleased to have successfully completed our second trip to Narrogin. The response and help from local schools was terrific.

                                              Evonne with Narrogin Elders and local teachers

We like to thank the local teachers who did a tremendous job on the BBQ, Aboriginal School Officers and especially Amber, Johan and Steve your schools did the community proud!

                                                       Evonne with some participants. 

                                                 Two proud lads - Charnan and Alistair 

Anzac Leidig - National Head coach said "I am delighted at the performance of all coaches, young and not so young. It was great to see so many young kids enjoying themselves out on court". 

Left - Anzac (Adelaide, SA), Baden (Brewarrina, NSW), Colin (Adelaide SA), Kanichi (originally from Broome, WA now in Cairns, QLD), Nathan (originally from Darwin NT, now in Melbourne, VIC) Evonne, Adam (Geelong, VIC) and Ella (Central Coast NSW)

Our Evonne Goolagong Foundation Crew are in Bunbury with Head Coach Andrew and local coaches Josh and Kyle and we are ready to take the court today. Come down to the Bunbury Tennis Club, Hay Park, Parade Rd from 10am-2pm.

Watch out Narrogin!

Yesterday the Evonne Goolagong Foundation crew travelled to Narrogin. It is the first time visiting Western Australia for two of our coaches - Nathan Hawke from Darwin, NT and Baden Barker from Brewarrina, NSW and they are loving it!

This morning we woke up and looked out the window to check the weather, as today is the Come and Try Tennis Day in Narrogin. Lets just say the weather is cloudy but it is clearing. Evonne was known on tour as the "Sunshine Super Girl" bringing light and happiness into everyones life.  So Evonne will work her magic and blow those clouds away for Narrogin and brighten up lots of young Aboriginal faces today out on court.

Whilst in Perth last week Evonne (Chairperson) and Roger (CEO) had successful meetings and will now commence a new program in 2015 with help from funding from the Western Australian Government. We are super excited about this.

Enjoy your day and "keep smiling"

Evonne presenting Mr Peter Collier the Western Australian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs with an Evonne Goolagong Foundation Shirt.

Western Australia Here We Come!

Hi Guys - Kyah Stewart here, I'm the National Projects Manager.

I'm so excited to let you all know that Evonne (Chairperson) and Roger (CEO) are on there way to Western Australia to meet with Mr Peter Collier the Minister of Education and Aboriginal Affairs.

Our team of 7 coaches from all over Australia including our very own National Head Coach Anzac Leidig, will be setting off on a jet plane to join Evonne and Roger on Monday for our Come and Try Days.

We are heading to the beautiful country town of Narrogin on Wednesday 3 September followed by the coastal town of Bunbury on Friday 5 Sept.

We are very excited to be revisiting these places and can't wait to be out on court checking out some talent and of course having some fun!

Aboriginal kids aged 5-15yrs come down and give tennis a real go, meet Evonne and have a free BBQ!

Your guaranteed to have a fun filled day with us!