Felled trees yield slabs for history to live on

BEECHWORTH Tennis Club last month continued to support the sport without hitting a ball despite not having its own courts and clubhouse. Club member Greg Clydesdale said since the sale of the old grass and gravel courts near the town's centre, work had begun on four new Vic Tennis approved courts at Baarmutha Park. "The new state of the art, all weather courts will allow not only improved tennis but a restart of accredited junior coaching," he said. "The aim of the club is to restore tennis to the lofty heights it once held in Beechworth with high participation rates as well as the added advantage of being able to nurture the next generation's champions." Mr Clydesdale said members hoped a significant feature of the new clubrooms will be the furniture and fittings which will be constructed from remnant logs rescued from the new site. "The Elm and Ponderosa Pine trees, which had graced the old racecourse and featured in newspaper articles of the day, have yielded some beautiful slabs from the salvaged pieces carefully selected and sawn." An aim is for offcuts to be used by the Beechworth Men's Shed in a cooperative venture to craft low cost and unique trophies for the sports clubs at Baarmutha Park. "The working party together with slab expert Geoff Simpson have been delighted that Geoff Lucas has joined them," Mr Clydesdale said. "He agreed that the timber showed some particularly fascinating features which will require appropriate ageing and treatment." Using a Lucas Mill slab saw, Geoff Lucas showed Mr Simpson the advantage of the product with results that can be brought to the local community besides its worldwide distribution. While some of the sections of the trees were rotted and unsalvageable where heritage nails had been embedded deep in the trunks, members are hopeful that sufficient timber turned into such items as bench seating and shelving to name a few, remains to enhance Baarmutha Park for another 150 years . With tennis court construction well underway, club president Andy Carr said keeping history by turning felled trees into resources for timber products had been a significant outcome. "This was a fantastic idea thought of, and brought to life by club secretary and treasurer Gary Wallace," he said.

Felled trees yield slabs for history to live on

Legacy in stone: Wangaratta remembers Thommo and Vadim

Two wineries best in business with fortified and sweet

Missing Harrietville man reunited with family

Quality run of spring drops delivers $10m turnover at annual weaner sale

Something for everyone at the 33rd Annual Chiltern Antique & Collectibles Fair

Ovens & Murray Advertiser, Friday, August 21, 2026

Missing Harrietville man reunited with family

Digital Editions Archive - Regional Extra

Two wineries best in business with fortified and sweet

Most popular stories