Our History

Beginning

In 1965 Jacqui and Fergie Kerr were out driving one Sunday and drove along the Glenelg tram line past the Glenelg YMCA building. Jacqui thought that it would be a good place to play badminton. She made contact with the Glenelg YMCA about using the venue. At first the YMCA were sceptical in accepting the club as a tenant. One of the reasons was that the club would have lady members and as it was a Young Men’s Christian Association, ladies were not included. It was also thought that windows would be broken and the hall damaged during games. Fergie and Jacqui soon convinced them otherwise. Jacqui put up flyers and told as many people as she could about the impending first club night.

The day arrived and the night began. Only 1 person turned up…Fergie!! In the first year, membership numbered 16 which grew to 30 in 1967. In 2025 the membership has grown to over 250 plus some 30-50 juniors who attend on Sunday mornings for junior training.

The club has flourished since those times and now includes many members of different nationalities, some born overseas, all with badminton as their common language.

Relocation

In the year 2000 Glenelg BC relocated to WA Satterley Hall at Lockleys. To maintain the intimacy that we had enjoyed at the Holdfast YMCA for 35 years, it was decided to create our own Club room area by extending the existing Social Centre. This was to provide a shared meeting room and to display our club honour boards. To enable us to undertake and complete the project we needed lots of help. It started with fundraising, primarily through our quiz nights and offers of in-kind support and voluntary labour. We sought a grant from the Office for Recreation and Sport. Having the financial side under control the building work could start. Simon White in conjunction with his family company Waternish Constructions handled the initial stages of construction. It was then over to Allan Davis of Davis and Brooks Building Services, for the next stage. Once the internal lining and ceiling was done, our volunteer painters became involved. With significant input from former club member Matt Easton, the electrical fit-out was completed. The finishing touches were achieved with small working bees.

There are people and organisations that need to be acknowledged for the success of this project. Badminton SA for approving the project, The SA Government Office for Recreation and Sport for the building grant, the City of West Torrens for their contribution of the roof and windows, Waternish Constructions for the donation of labour, materials and project management, Davis and Brooks Building Services for their donation of their time etc, Badminton SA for the ceiling fans and the replacement of the original carpet, the building steering committee for input and guidance, Lockleys Bowling Club for their initial input and patience during the project, club volunteers with special mention of Robert Riggs, Nigel Isherwood, Carol Packard for keeping us on track, Simon White for keeping the faith and finally to the Glenelg Badminton Club members for sharing the dream.

Legacy

The Glenelg Badminton Club is immensely proud of what we have achieved and the legacy we have created. The committee had no hesitation in agreeing to name the room created as part of the building extensions as the ‘Kerr Room’ in honour of Jacqui and Fergie, in acknowledgement of their significant contribution to our club and the sport.

The Dodgy Brothers

In years gone by the club ended the year with a fun night, where members were treated to many and varied themes which were devised by one Adam Russell. One of these events was a ‘Day at the Races’ and all were encouraged to dress in appropriate attire and attend the races. Lollies were given to each member to bet with. The premiere bookmakers were Adam ‘Jacko’ Russell (you’ve all heard of a Jack Russell), Jeff ‘Garbo’ Green aka the Dodgy Brothers, due to their dodgy tactics.

At subsequent club championships they entered the men’s doubles as the Dodgy Brothers. Jeff could be heard far and wide as he tried to put the opposition off their game with his loud noise and the smashing of his racquet on his leg. Ouch!!! Robert Riggs made an excessive noise detection device one year that emitted a piercing beep every time Jeff made a loud noise. Jeff was not impressed. The Dodgy Brothers got up to many dodgy moves during Golf days as they contrived to alter the scores to suit the occasion. As you can see from the photo and Jeff’s dodgy smile, he is remembering what they got up to.