“It was a game especially adapted for those people — especially ladies who have passed the lawn-tennis stage of life.” So said a correspondent to The Shepparton News when the Shepparton Croquet Club formed in 1924.
A councillor also claimed that “a croquet club was a nice thing to have, but it belonged to a limited number.”
The sport officially began in Shepparton following a public meeting at the Star Theatre.
One Mrs Abernethy (one can readily picture her matronly mien, mallet in hand) was the inaugural president.
Two sand courts were built on the tennis club land at 70 Wyndham St, but the site proved untenable, and in 1925 the club moved to the south-eastern corner of the recreation reserve (where the Guide Hall now stands).
Lighting was strung over the courts in 1927, but by 1931 the club wanted to expand and build lawn courts.
The council refused an application for croquet to be played on the tennis courts in Queens Gardens.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the council undertook works to convert a swampy area in the south-west of town into a lake and sporting precinct.
It was, of course, Victoria Park — and the mallet-swingers successfully applied to have space for their particular pursuit.
The Shepparton Heritage Centre is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested, contact the centre on 4831 8659.
