JIMBOOMBA stalwart Phil Connors has just turned 80, but this has not stopped him from taking to the tennis court.
Phil and his wife Dianne raised a large family of eight kids and lived in Jimboomba for more than 50 years.
Dianne said she convinced her reluctant husband to give tennis a go and he never looked back.
“I used to play tennis and Phil would be watching (TV) and I said why don’t you come out? You don’t have to be a John McEnroe,” she said.
“Come the next Friday night he got really keen. He was a late starter.”
Phil plans to continue playing social games and fixture tennis until he is no longer competitive.
“When you find yourself winning points you feel like coming back every week,” he said.
His first job in Jimboomba was at the old CSIRO field station which used to be based near the Henderson Road tennis courts.
“They were experimenting with breeding tick resistant cattle and working on chemicals to kill the ticks and worms,” he said.
The CSIRO station closed in 1987 which led to Phil’s next job as the Beenleigh Trinity College bus driver for 17 years.
Dianne said the pay packet took a hit, but the family made ends meet and Phil was able to drop the kids off to school.
Phil’s son, Dominic, said his dad was a “man of the land” who always provided for the family.
“He loves animals and always had his own cattle. He was self sufficient growing his own produce while raising eight kids,” he said.
“He also loved racing greyhound dogs for many years.”
Phil said Greyhound breeding and racing was one of his favourite hobbies.
“A few of the dogs made it to the Gabba….if you can win at the Gabba you are doing alright,” he said.
The couple will celebrate the milestone at the Hills Golf Academy with family and friends on June 30.
