Anyone associated with tennis in Kangaroo Valley over the past 50 years or so would be aware of the central role of Paul and Libby Turnock in the establishment and promotion of tennis in KV. The Turnocks ‘retired’ to Kangaroo Valley in 1974 and took up residence in the Old Barrengarry School House at the bottom of Barrengarry Mountain and there raised their two children Anna and Stephen.
Tennis has been played in KV for over 100 years with many private courts and a public court, initially at the Showground. In 1921 the Tennis Club constructed a court on private land at the corner of Broughton Street and Moss Vale Road, opposite what is now the Ambulance Station. Electric lighting was added in the 1950s but by the 1970s the court was cracking up and rarely used. Several hardy souls used the asphalt court at the Primary School in those days.
In March 1979 the Kangaroo Valley Tennis Club re-formed (probably due to the influence of Paul and Libby Turnock) at a meeting in KV Hall attended by 20 people. The court in Broughton Street was refenced and repaired with new lights and a shelter shed. In 1981, weekly club tennis began with night competitions and entries in Saturday district competitions.
In 1987, Paul proposed the creation of Riverside Park on what was an unfenced, poorly-drained and weed-infested paddock. His entry won Shoalhaven Council’s Earth Week competition and subsequently became the major bicentennial project for Kangaroo Valley. The Council purchased the land and volunteers set to work transforming the paddock into a park. The two new tennis courts were constructed while Paul designed and, with a few friends, built the clubhouse to be officially opened in November 1990. The two synthetic grass courts were added a few years later
Paul and Libby have continued to be active tennis players into their 80s, and are justly acknowledged as two of our ‘Golden Oldies’ on the board in the Paul Turnock Clubhouse.
For some years, Paul has been coping bravely with the onset of MS, which has progressively hampered his mobility on the tennis court. Always ready to accept a challenge, he devised a cunning contraption to lift his recalcitrant leg so he wouldn’t trip over it. This kept Paul playing for several more years and eventually he reluctantly accepted the offer to be allowed two bounces to return a ball.
As another example of the Turnocks’ community involvement, Paul and Libby were instrumental in setting up our East Timor friendship group. Libby was so distressed at reports of the atrocities in 1999, she called a meeting of friends who decided we had to do something. In March 2000 we were introduced to Timorese resistance fighter Eduardo Belo Soares, who liked the idea of a ‘Sister Village’ arrangement and suggested the sub-district of Remexio as an ideal candidate. Libby and Paul travelled to East Timor a number of times, as did other Valley residents. Until the Covid era, visits were at least annual, with a number of Timorese coming to stay with Valley friends, often for months at a time. The establishment of personal friendships has led to strong ties with East Timor and the relationship has continued developing to this day.
Among the fund-raisers for East Timor were the Buster Keaton silent movie nights, complemented by the adventures of ‘Dirty Dan the Pumpout Man’, starring Paul Turnock in the lead role.
Libby and Paul have decided the upkeep of their Barrengarry property is becoming too onerous, so have taken the plunge to invest in a new villa at The Arbour in Berry. The Old School House is now in the care of daughter Anna and her husband Aaron, so the connection with The Valley has not been severed. We look forward to Libby and Paul making the journey over the mountain to visit their friends and play a bit of tennis and wish them well in this new phase of their lives.
