Unless the club can encourage greater use of its courts, Eurobodalla Shire Council will shut them down.

At least, that was the message put to members at the group’s recent annual general meeting.

The courts were built by community volunteers more than 30 years ago.

The club also raised money to help build what was originally intended to be the Malua Bay Tennis Clubhouse.

A council newsletter dated August 1993 shows council gave the tennis club committee $6000 to complete its clubhouse on the proviso that it be used by a number of community groups, including the playgroup and progress association.

The committee had raised $13,000 towards the project and asked council to help cover the balance.

This followed $35,000 spent by council in 1986 and 1987 on preparing the site for the courts and clubhouse.

While council cleared the land, it was the volunteers who shovelled the special fill for its surface, installed the posts, and built the fencing.

These days council hires the Malua Bay community centre to any group, for a fee; a fee that unfortunately also applies to tennis club members.

However, those matters aside, tennis club president Barry Brown says the real issue is the fact that, within five years, the club must devise a management plan to make the courts financially viable.

“People pay $15 per hour to council to hire these courts, compared with Hanging Rock which is the same price for a much better facility,” he said.

“It really doesn’t give us much opportunity to make money.”

There are 12 Hanging Rock tennis courts on synthetic and grass finish compared with two courts at Malua Bay, which are clay courts.

Then there are the added facilities at Hanging Rock: showers, lights for twilight players, coffee and tea-making facilities.

“We don’t have any of that,” tennis club member Alison Powell said.

They might not have the facilities to compete with Hanging Rock, but the 22 members who make regular use of the Malua Bay courts are happy with what they have.

And they don’t want council to take it away.

Instead they would like to see council help them make their club viable by increasing the club’s membership fee and hours of play in return.

“Too many local people don’t even know these clay courts exist,” tennis club member Judy Thomson said.

“This is a retirement area and this club provides an outlet,” Ms Powell said.

“Our main aim is to get exercises for the top end of the age group. Council has a Wellbeing Department and surely this fits in with that? Surely, it fills a community need,” Mr Brown said.

The tennis club plays socially on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between 8am and 10am, and also holds several tennis/lunch parties each year.

For court bookings contact Malua Bay Newsagency on 4472 7740.