And recently, the region’s beloved ‘Mrs Tennis’ received a fitting tribute for her tireless devotion.
At a formal dinner hosted at Shepparton Parklake on October 17, Lees accepted a Tennis Victoria Highly Commended Service Award, recognising 60 years of dedication to the sport - 39 of which are official as a volunteer.
But by her own admission, she nearly didn’t go.
“I was completely blown away,” Lees said.
“When I got there I went to my husband, ‘we can’t go in there, that’s a tennis thing’ - and of course, they were waiting for me.
“I knew that Tennis Victoria was up for the weekend and I thought they might have something on.
“It was for my many years of tennis, 60 years of being involved with clubs and associations. It was very, very satisfying.”
Lees’ humility is matched only by her heart-on-sleeve passion for tennis.
Her early days started at Shepparton North Tennis Club, where she wore many hats, including secretary, treasurer, and junior team coordinator over a 15 year period.
Then the time came to give the little ones a leg up.
She became an integral figure within the Shepparton Junior Tennis Association, where again, she assumed a myriad of roles throughout a three-decade span that helped launch the careers of hundreds, if not thousands, of young prospects.
Add in Lees’ 20-year commitment to the Shepparton and District Tennis Association, and it’s clear Heather has been at the heart of the city’s tennis community for quite some time.
And yet, her impact extends far beyond Shepparton.
As a long-standing committee member of the Victorian Country Tennis Association, Lees coordinated regional junior squads for over 20 years, represented the Goulburn region, and played a pivotal role in Tennis Victoria’s Country Week competitions — always blending her love for the game with an extraordinary organisational touch.
So when she stepped up to receive her award, family by her side, it’s not hard to imagine generations of tennis players secretly smiled knowing it was a just reward for a selfless saint of the sport.
“It was a really good night and a lot of my friends I hadn’t seen in a long time (were there),” Lees said.
“Since then I’ve had a lot contact me, some I haven’t seen for 30 or 40 years.
“They’ve obviously seen it somewhere and have caught up with it, so it was very pleasing.
“I’d like to thank the ones that turned up and the work that was put in behind the scenes to get it together. I know Fleur (Baldi) had a big part in that. It was excellent.”
