THE original design of Greater Shepparton Secondary College had a bustling sports precinct in mind, but not for Shepparton’s badminton players.
One of the first letters Tjitte (TJ) Weistra received when he was appointed general manager of Badminton Victoria in 2020, was from the Shepparton Badminton Association. The organisation was disappointed that the sport had not been considered when planning the school’s sporting amenities.
Mr Weistra said he found this unusual. He said, “Australia has a strong reputation of offering many types of sports in school and Shepparton has a long history in badminton, with several large, long running clubs and passionate players in the area.”
On Friday, Mr Weistra and Nick Pettitt from Badminton Victoria brought 16,000kg of equipment – including nets, poles, kits including new racquets and shuttlecocks – to the college. The donated equipment has been repainted and sewn to look new again thanks to Badminton Victoria’s club president, over six months in lockdown.
Shepparton Badminton Association, the school council and the students are estatic with the donation, which will ensure that the 140 junior players locally can play badminton at the college.
“Badminton is a social sport. It’s no contact, low impact, and most teams are mixed and very social. Without the facilities in local schools, we couldn’t attract young people to the game,” said Adrian Sumner of the Shepparton Badminton Association.
