Rhondda Moffitt was a dedicated member, player and volunteer of the club for about 20 years before her death in 2013. After she died, her husband Russell continued her involvement with the club until his death in 2023.
Before his passing, Russell was in the process of bequeathing a monetary gift on Rhondda’s behalf to fund the redevelopment of the club pavilion.
At his request, Rhondda’s legacy will be recognised with the new building to be named the Rhondda Moffitt Pavilion.
The club currently has two ageing buildings on site. The original pavilion was built around 1924, while an additional hall – a former military building – was moved onto the site a few years later.
Club president Matt Love-Smith said the buildings had been outdated and unfit for purpose for many years, but a rebuild was never considered possible until the bequest.
“They’re just old. If you had to reconsent them now, they probably wouldn’t meet all the modern regulations,” he said.
Both existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with a single, open-plan pavilion, large enough to move junior training indoors during bad weather.
The new facility will include upgraded kitchen facilities, on-site parking and Wi-Fi.
Love-Smith said it would also be made available for use by other community organisations.
“Groups or associations that are like-minded and are looking for facilities where they can bring people together – we’re hoping we’ll be able to support those in the future,” he said.
The new pavilion will be constructed off-site and transported to the club.
Love-Smith said Laing was now working through the detailed design, which will be submitted to the city council for building consent early next year.
The amount of the bequest and the estimated cost of the rebuild could not be disclosed but Love-Smith said the club would be looking to raise an additional $75,000 through donations, fundraising and sponsorship.
“We’re very excited about the future for the whole community. We’re a growing club and it’s going to allow us to expand our ability to provide access to tennis for all abilities and age groups,” Love-Smith said.
Earlier this month, the club received Tennis New Zealand’s Community Impact Award, a national honour recognising its coaching programme with Te Raekura Redcliffs School.
Over the past eight years, the club has invested about $8000 to provide every pupil at the school with two fully coached tennis lessons each year at no cost.
