Breeza will be the envy of the Liverpool Plains when its new tennis courts are complete.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's been a long time coming for the village's progress association, which is keen to get a tennis club going once again.
Read also:
Association member Andrew Pursehouse said they successfully applied for $75,5000 through Sports Australia, and invested $30,000 of their own, plus $10,500 in community funding to restore the town's tennis courts.
"There's a lot of younger members in our community here and we thought it would be good to have tennis facilities there because we already have good park facilities for the young kids; this is an extension of that," he said.
Mr Pursehouse said the original ant bed courts had gone to wrack and ruin over time because they were "high maintenance", especially on black soil.
The association held a working bee ahead of the recent overhaul, pulling down the old fence and tidying up.
The Rural Fire Service supplied 11,000L of water to the project, and about 280 tonnes of crusher dust and six tonnes of cement formed the base of the courts.
The ant bed courts were in a sorry state when Mark Keating and his team from Clarence Town brought their expertise to the project and have been working long hours to establish two courts in field turf. Mr Keating maintains courts in Gunnedah, Tamworth and Spring Ridge.
More than 30 tonnes of Stockton Beach sand was added on Wednesday and fencing was under way on Thursday. A basketball hoop will also be added.
Association president Phil Newell said they would like to get a competition going again so residents can compete with players from neighbouring towns.
Mr Pursehouse said some players from Breeza had been travelling to Spring Ridge to use those courts, but now they wouldn't have to.
"I think it's a good social outlet for the local community [and] is good for bringing the community together," he said.
He said older members of the town would also enjoy playing social games when the courts are open.
Lighting and landscaping will be an additional expense and the association is hopeful it will be able to gain a grant to fund it.
It has already purchased a new kitchen for the clubhouse with the help of another grant and will continue to improve the facilities as it can.