Club History
Cammeray Tennis Club – from 1928
North Sydney Council constructed three courts at the site of the present club in 1920 at the request of local tennis players.
Two courts ran the traditional north/south direction with the third an undesirable east/west. The courts were leased by three different clubs, ‘The Oaks’, ‘Boronia’ and ‘Belmont’. In 1928 The Oaks and Boronia amalgamated and formed Cammeray Tennis Club. The earliest recorded Annual General Meeting of Cammeray Tennis Club was held on the 8th February 1929 with 13 members present. The Club paid two pounds ten shillings ($5) per week to Council to use the courts.
With the formation of the new Club it brought together an enthusiastic group of men who not only had influence at Cammeray but figured prominently in the formation of the Northern Suburbs Tennis Association, men such as George Tremlett, Les Brainwood, Roy Jackson and Frank Dolan.
These people certainly had influence, within 12 months they had convinced Council to abandon the east/west court and construct two more north/south courts in its place, the courts were completed in 1929.
ln 1932 Council built a sandstone clubhouse at the Ernest St. end of the courts with all amenities which was surrounded by beautiful big trees. Unfortunately, in 1965 it was demolished as a consequence of progress and wider streets, a brick clubhouse was built to replace it at the northern end of the courts.
Clubhouse alterations and extensions together with the construction of a new grandstand and hit up wall were completed in 1996 with the Mayor of North Sydney Genia McCaffrey officially opening the new clubhouse on the 31st August. Graeme Saunders, Warwick Howard, Lyn Smith, David & Melissa Campion, Martin Wyatt, Bob Chaffe, Margaret McIntyre & Jon Mond all deserve mention for their contributions prior to and during work on this major project. Unfortunately the hit up wall was decommissioned by North Sydney Council in 2008 when they built a new public amenities block next door.
The court surface has changed over the years, from the original loam, to Tech-Tone (bitumen based) in 1977, to synthetic grass in 1984. This surface was relaid in 2002 with financial help from the NSW Dept. of Sport & Recreation.
Flood-lighting was installed on all four courts in December 1983 and was upgraded to modern head units and globes in 2007.
The boundary fencing was replaced in 2005 and at the same time some additional space was gained by the clubhouse entrance to allow a more comfortable outdoor socialising space. This project also received financial backing from the NSW Dept. of Sport & Recreation.
Special mention in latter years should go to hard working committee man Roy Marzol (who compiled the early history and was court curator for many years), other long serving committee people of recent years were Laurie Foster, Chris Rush (over 20 yrs each) and Margaret Mclntyre who were instrumental in the Club becoming Incorporated in 1985.