3 days to go! For a number of years now, I've joined my mom at the Jericho Tennis Club for their Christmas Jazz brunch. Jericho is right on the beach, and has beautiful views across Burrard Inlet towards the North Shore mountains. I particularly like the hot tub and pool. This year we were joined by a number of other family and friends which was great.It's hard to believe that I've been a member there for over 30 years. The history of the site is of course much longer. The club started as a swimming club on the beach in 1916 and during WW1 was an air station site. It was a government reserve prior to that and in the 1870s was a whaling station. Jeremiah Rogers set up one of Vancouver's first logging camps there in 1865 clearing much of Kitsilano and West Point Grey. It was called "Jerry's Cove" after him. Spaniard Jose Narvaez and his crew "discovered" the area in 1791 and the next year, Valdez and Galiana ran into Captain George Vancouver off the same shore. Before that, the local Musqueam people lived there in a village site called Ee'yullmough. Suddenly I don't feel so old!
Now I know that Australia is a huge tennis country with players like Rod Laver and Evonne Goolagong, and is host to major events like the Australian Open. I don't think I'll get a chance to play while I'm there but I do hope to get to visit Birrarung Marr near Rod Laver arena. How cool is that?
