House debates

Thursday, 17 June 2021

Statements by Members

Carswell, Ms Joan

1:43 pm

Photo of Bridget ArcherBridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

If you live in Northern Tasmania and have even a fleeting interest in tennis, you will know the last name Carswell. The Carswells are an iconic local tennis family. Today I'd like to pay tribute to the matriarch of the Carswell family, Joan, who recently passed away at the age of 97. Born in Launceston on 15 April 1924, Joan was educated at Invermay Primary School. Her schooling was cut short when she developed the symptoms of polio, and her mother sent her to her family home in Kempton to recover. Joan eventually began her working life in the warehouse office of Patons and Baldwins in Launceston, before marrying husband Andy in 1944 and having three children. In the 1960s Joan became interested in tennis as a result of her children's enthusiasm for the game, starting out helping in the canteen before becoming the secretary of the City-Suburban Tennis Association and organising the popular pennant for many years. As part of the association, Joan was organising over 1,000 players a week during its prime, with over 137 teams, and the midweek pennant still continues today. Joan's decades of voluntary service were recognised by her induction into the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women, and in 2000 she received an Australia Day citizenship award for her contribution to volunteering in sport. Joan's legacy lives on through her three children, David, Brian and Andrea; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Vale, Joan.