Rotorua Tennis Club member Alan Petley turned 90 last week. Photo/Stephen Parker
Rotorua Tennis Club member Alan Petley turned 90 last week. Photo/Stephen Parker
A desire to stay active and a deep love for tennis have seen Rotorua's Alan Petley play the sport into his 90th year.
Petley, who celebrated his 90th birthday on Friday, is a shining example of longevity as he still plays twice a week at the Rotorua Tennis Club.
His wife Jocelyn said even when it was pouring with rain, her husband would go down to the courts just in case someone showed up for a game, such was his enthusiasm for the game.
He started playing in 1935, aged 7, and loved the game from the moment he picked up a racket. Despite two hip and knee operations, he has no intention of giving it up any time soon.
When asked for the secret to playing tennis into his 90s, he "doesn't really know".
"I'm still alive, that's why I'm still playing. I'm reasonably active and I just love the game and I love the company, it's good exercise. I met my wife through tennis.
"It's a non-contact sport, I used to play rugby in the early days and I used to wrestle, I don't think I'd be able to do that anymore. I probably don't hit the ball as hard as I used to, but I'm still okay moving around," Petley said.
While it is the social side of the sport that keeps him going, Petley grinned as he confessed he was a competitive person.
"I do like to win, it is a competitive sport, you're playing against someone else. But, it is very friendly down there, it's a great club."
He said he was "quite thrilled" to reach the 90-year milestone.
"My mother lived to be 100. I'll keep playing as long as I can - once the body tells me no, that'll be it."
Rotorua Tennis Club members signed a giant tennis ball for Alan Petley, to commemorate his 90th birthday. Photo/Supplied
The couple moved from Wellington to Rotorua in 1991 and, while Jocelyn does not play anymore, they have taken part in several tennis tournaments and tours together.
Jocelyn said highlights included regular trips around New Zealand in caravans, with tennis playing friends, to play at tournaments.
"We had a great group of friends at the Miramar Tennis Club who we would go away with. We had a lot of fun.
"We also did a wonderful trip to America, with a group of veterans from all around New Zealand, in the late 1970s. We were treated like royalty and there were wonderful people that took us out for dinner. Through tennis we have done a lot, we were never great players but we enjoyed the whole atmosphere and comradeship of it," she said.
During his time at Rotorua Tennis Club, Petley has won the respect of all involved with his compassion and enthusiasm.
Senior club member Viv Radley said he was "an inspiration to us all".
"He's always first there to open up the club and has everything ready, even for morning tea, and I have never known him to miss a game. Alan is a real gentleman, always caring, and has a great empathy towards everyone at the club and their families. If anyone needs any help, he would be there, he's that sort of person.
"The club has so much respect and love for Alan that we just couldn't miss an occasion like his 90th, and the way he races around the court, we expect to be organising his 100th birthday."
