Local Legends: Kim & Suzy Cooper – Titans of Takapau Tennis Club

"Local Legends" is a web article series where Tennis NZ celebrates club workers and volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to improving their club and the sport. If you want to nominate someone, click here.

From cold-calling the entire town, to running an extensive club cattle scheme, Kim and Suzy Cooper have epitomized the ‘can-do’ Kiwi attitude for over 40 years.

In Takapau, a close-knit community about 70 minutes southwest of Napier, a sense of connection drives everything. Among the town’s most dedicated contributors are Kim and Suzy Cooper, whose tireless efforts have helped keep the Takapau Lawn Tennis Club thriving for more than 40 years.

Over those decades, Kim has seen the club’s membership — and even the town’s population — ebb and flow dramatically.

“The club community was very strong in the ’70s,” Kim said. “Families would load up one car with everyone, and they’d bring the whole family every Saturday. Shops weren’t open, and with a very strong farming presence, it was the place to be on a Saturday. All our courts were full twice over.”

However, throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, full-time farmers became less common, with much of the farming work taken up by non-permanent contractors. By the late ’80s, the club got very quiet. The situation became quite dire, with only a handful of members showing up.

“We had a meeting — about six of us. We were getting no one. Not even all the committee members were coming to our meetings. So, we got out the local phonebook, made a huge list, and called about 50 people each. From that push, we managed to rekindle a decent membership.”

It was quite an effort to get people to show up, but the real goal was to keep them coming back. That’s where they relied on the family-friendly, social aspect of the tennis club to appeal to new members.

“Each of the three clubs within decent driving distance offers something unique,” Kim explained. “Waipukurau is the biggest, and Waipawa has a competitive club night. We really focus on being a social club, a casual club. A club that all members of our community feel welcome in. We make sure we feed people, so we have a great relationship with the local fish and chip shop. We’ll often have people and kids show up to club night who aren’t there to play but more to connect with others, which is fantastic.”

Suzy, Kim’s wife and treasurer of the club for over 30 years, has been heavily involved in keeping the club financially stable. The club operates in a unique way, with paid membership as well as free access for those who couldn’t otherwise afford to play regularly. It was important to the club to keep the doors open to all who want to play. It’s a registered charity for that reason, so the club has been very creative over the years about raising crucial club funds.

“When our fences were falling down, and we needed to lay astro on three courts, we of course applied for grants and did working bees. But we’ve also been known to offer wedding catering, which is great as many different club members get stuck in and help cook. We’ve also been running a cattle scheme for a long time, which has proved very successful.”

For city folk, Suzy explained what a cattle scheme is exactly:

“One of the committee members, who was a cattle farmer, loaned the club five grand. With that, we bought about 12 cattle and paid the committee member back as the livestock accumulated value. We used that to buy more, in turn raising more, and selling more. The cattle scheme has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.”

“Our club and committee members are incredibly generous. Many of them are farmers, and they absorb club-owned cattle onto their own farms, raising them among their own livestock free of charge. It’s generosity like this that helps the club thrive.”

Considering the club has been active for over 100 years, investing back into the facilities is a must.

“Way back in the ’70s, we had a very old wooden clubhouse with dark, dingy toilets on each side. It was awful. Many club members with building skills pitched in to create what we have now, some even donating timber for it. The fact that it was built by the community, for the community, sums up what our club is about perfectly.”

Both Suzy and Kim were quick to recognise the other committee members who, along with them, continue to make things happen.

“We’ve got a fabulous committee — not just us. We’ve been so lucky. A lot of people pitch in, and when we share the work, we’re able to achieve so much more. They’ve been instrumental in keeping the club going over the years.”

Kim praised Suzy for her efforts throughout the decades and her significant support of the club.

“She’s the Mother Teresa of the club. I’m just the show pony; she does all the work.” Kim said.

Suzy returned the favour:

“He downplays it a lot, but he puts in a lot of effort into the draw each week. He makes sure that people are always playing with others of their level and that they have a great time.”

After decades on the committee, both are happy with where the club is now.

“Membership is really stable now, which is great. We have a number of players who are members of two, even three of the local clubs, and that’s awesome for those that are very keen. We just continue to ensure our club is as welcoming and positive as possible. Whether that’s remembering juniors’ birthdays with chocolates or small things like that.”

While neither Kim nor Suzy wanted to be made a fuss over, club members have praised the couple for their years of service to both the club and the community.

“They have been involved with the club forever... between them, they epitomize everything that is good about tennis. We would struggle to run our huge summer tournament without their knowledge and experience.”