Alocal tennis stalwart has been recognised for more than three decades of contribution to the sport.
Mount Gambier Tennis Club co-junior coordinator and secretary Heidi Heemskerk received the Tennis SA Rural Volunteer Achievement Award for her nearly 35 years of involvement in the local club and sport as a whole.
Ms Heemskerk received the award from SA Tennis legend John Fitzgerald at a Tennis SA Gala Dinner in front of more than 430 attendees on Centre Court at The Drive.
She has played a host of roles over the years including player, volunteer, parent of players and Mount Gambier Tennis Club’s first female president in its 100th year.
Ms Heemskerk said her journey with the local sporting club started after her parents moved across the road from the courts.
“I started playing tennis here at probably the age of eight and have been here ever since,” she said.
“I played all my tennis here so started off playing junior tennis which over part of that time my dad actually was a junior coordinator.
“I was filling in for seniors and at the age of 14 made it into our top team here which back then was A1, it is called Division 1 now.
“From about the age of 18 I joined the committee and I used to help mow the lawns and do all sorts of things around the place.”
The tennis stalwart said her involvement in the sport was generational, stemming from when her parents used to play socially.
“We grew up sort of hanging around tennis as well then obviously moving across the road from a tennis club helped in playing and training,” she said.
“My children have grown up here too so they have been here since they were babies on the side of the tennis court, so it was just a natural progression to move into playing.
“Back in my day a lot of the kids’ parents played so we were already hanging around tennis and we knew what was going on.
“I feel it is a sport for life and no matter where you go you can pick up a racquet and find a tennis court and meet new people.”
Ms Heemskerk and Renee Cameron have been the junior coordinators at the club for around 10 years since their children started playing.
Ms Heemskerk said when the pair took over they had to populate the club’s junior numbers, which were between 15-20 at their lowest.
“Our numbers were quite low when we took over, so we have rebuilt the juniors to what our numbers are today which is close to 70,” she said.
“If you do not have juniors you are less likely to have seniors.
“The juniors but also the Tennis Hot Shots, your five to seven-year-olds who are not quite ready for competition, but they are learning the basics, is just so rewarding.
“The joy, the elation on their faces when they hit the ball, that makes you keep going back week after week to do it again.”
Ms Heemskerk said she felt the award was a group effort of behalf of all the volunteers at the Mount Gambier Tennis Club.
“I know it has been awarded to me, but I also feel it is the hard work that our committee and club has put in over the years as well,” she said.
“Our club has just got a really good community feel, we are all good friends here, we have a great committee, we have a great group of people who put in a lot of time and effort here like it is certainly not just me by any means.
“It is lovely to be recognised but I am certainly not one to seek out recognition, I just like to hide in the background and get the things done.
“Volunteers probably do not get recognised enough, not just at our club but certainly within other tennis clubs and within other sports, our clubs cannot run without the help of volunteers.
“I know I have contributed a lot to tennis and the club over a lot of years so I guess it is nice to receive something but that is certainly not what I am about.”
