We first saw Stephen Gort on the pages of The Echo as a junior player off to Texas in 2007. The Echo reported that ‘Eighteen year old Mullum-ite Stephen Gort has been impelled to play tennis ever since he experienced it first hand as a seven year old.’
Stephen’s grandmother had signed him up for a tennis coaching camp and the rest, as they say, is history.
All those years ago, Stephen was a member of the Mullumbimby Tennis Club and felt he had been supported wonderfully over his short career. He had special thanks for the president of the club Greg Southern.
Stephen made the trip overseas and has come full circle in his tennis career. Now, he’d like to give something back to the club that supported him.
A tour player and now a Mullumbimby coach, Steve has been elected president of the Mullum Tennis Club, in a move outgoing president Steve Johnson welcomed as a ‘rejuvenation’ of the club.
‘Steve Gort is a young local player who made it well into the top 100 in Australia, and is an experienced coach whose abilities will complement those of resident coach Justin De Candia’, said the outgoing Steve.
Incoming Steve said that he was, ‘pleased to be leading the club where I started playing as a boy.’ ‘I want to help people to lift the standard of their tennis if they want, but I also want people to enjoy their tennis as much as possible, as tennis is a great social game’, he said.
The club runs ladies’, men’s and mixed competitions at night, as well as hosting social tennis on the weekends and offering junior and adult tennis coaching.
To encourage new players, Steve will be holding an adult tennis clinic 11am-1pm this Saturday March 1 at the courts (next to the netball courts at the end of Byron St Mullumbimby) for men and women, all levels welcome $10 for 2 hours. Ph Steve 0412 731 814, email [email protected] or see more information on the club’s website.
Who knows, someone reading this may be the next ‘Stephen Gort’.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
