To coincide with the opening day of the Brisbane International, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk alongside Australian tennis legend Tony Roche unveiled the first stage of a riverside park at Tennyson, named after arguably the greatest product of Brisbane tennis, Ken Fletcher.
The Ken Fletcher Park, under construction since April, is a 2.9-hectare facility along the river, and directly across from the tennis centre, it was the fitting tribute to one of Brisbane tennis’s greatest sons.
“Ken Fletcher was one of the great tennis personalities for the city, and what better way to honour him than a park opposite the Queensland Tennis Centre,” Cr Quirk said.
A well-known Australian larrikin, Fletcher captured an incredible 10 major mixed doubles titles in the 1960s, including a mixed doubles Grand Slam with Margaret Court in 1963, before being inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012 following his death in 2006 from cancer.
Tony Roche, who played doubles alongside Fletcher as a junior, proudly recounted his favourite stories of the doubles legend, who he said knew just as much as a history teacher.
“I have very fond memories of Ken, because when I first came onto the scene, my first overseas trip was with Ken,” Roche said.
“Each city we’d go to he’d give me a history lesson. He’d say ‘son, you’re from the bush; you don’t know anything. Just stick with me and I’ll teach you everything’. He was fantastic to be in a team with; a great team man.
“He taught many things about doubles and was just a fantastic guy. I think the game of tennis misses characters like Fletch.”
The Ken Fletcher Park features an inclusive play space, open-air amphitheatre, public plaza, picnic facilities, and a public pontoon to access the river.
The internal carpark is accessible along King Arthur Terrace and stage two of the park is due to be completed by mid-2013.