The National Volunteer Week theme of “Connecting Communities” resonates with Gawler and District Tennis Association president Damian McGee, who helped rejuvenate tennis in the South Australian town.
Gawler, SA, 21 May 2025 | Jackson Mansell
Damian McGee feels a sense of pride and accomplishment when he walks down Murray Street in Gawler, South Australia.
Not only does McGee own a piece of real estate on the town’s main strip, the Exchange Hotel, but his other passion, the Gawler and District Tennis Association (GDTA), has an established presence.
That established presence drew McGee to the club shortly after moving to Gawler in 1985. Originally football and cricket-oriented, McGee found a community within the GDTA, developing new friendships and a hobby for life.
“My uncle was a very accomplished tennis player, and he was not much older than me, so I used to travel around watching him play tournaments,” McGee told tennis.com.au.
“I would often get bored , so I ended up picking up a tennis racquet myself and then started playing, and then I fell in love with the game from there.”
However, that established presence began to diminish as other sports captured more market share in Gawler. In 2022, McGee, a GDTA player for over 35 years and active volunteer, put his hand up to help, stepping in as president of the association.
“Tennis was really struggling in Gawler, and it needed to get the right people in the right positions to help rejuvenate the sport and drive extra participation,” he said. “We needed to make sure we had the right coaches and programs in place to make sure that the sport survived first and then put us in a position to thrive.
“As our association was starting to struggle a little bit with volunteers and direction, our facilities were becoming really dilapidated, I thought it was a great time to put up my hand and give back and try and help out the association as much as I could.”
McGee led the GDTA’s transformation. He sought funding from the local and federal governments to redevelop the deteriorating Essex Park facilities and helped increase association sponsorship.
READ: Officials, volunteers to be honoured at Australian Tennis Awards
The Gawler tennis community is thriving once again under McGee’s leadership. With a concerted effort to attract new and past members, participation numbers have grown across all ages and abilities, while the upgraded facilities have ensured that Essex Park is one of the busiest places in town.
“Our participation numbers are up, and not just up with more intermediate tennis players that had to get their tennis outcomes elsewhere, now they’re all coming back and being a part of just driving and growing what we’re trying to do,” he said.
The increased growth for tennis in Gawler is accompanied by notable recognition for the man who helped create that buzz.
McGee not only received the Volunteer Achievement Award for City and Hills by Tennis SA in April 2024, but was awarded the National Volunteer Achievement Award at the 2024 Australian Tennis Awards.
There’s equal reward in the sense of unity – which embodies the 2025 National Volunteer Week theme of ‘Connecting Communities’ – that the GDTA is building.
“We want to make sure that people can feel open, comfortable and warm who have never picked up a tennis racquet before,” McGee added.
“They can walk into our facility, say g’day and enjoy, and try and have a hit of tennis.
Find your way to play: Visit to hit the court and have some fun!
