11-05-2025
Gone but not for long. Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club board member stages lightning comeback
The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club came through the drama of its annual general meeting last December into a period of relative calm.
For those who came late, the club still known as the 'spiritual home of Australian tennis' after hosting the Australian Open for most of the 1970s and 1980s, was forced to call in external auditors over a $2.4 million 'accounting loss' from its dining and functions operations. That's a mountain of wagyu beef.
As we reported, external auditors blamed poor financial management and reporting, and the club said there was no evidence of criminal activity. Various officials departed.
Steve Wood, the respected former chief executive of Tennis Australia, was elected unopposed as the new president in December. He appointed experienced sports administrator Ian Robson as chief executive, who had run Melbourne Victory, Rowing Australia and the Essendon Football Club when it was engulfed in the 2012 supplements scandal.
The pair then settled in for a long five-setter to get the club back on track.
On April 30, Sarah Sheer, a board member during the wagyu-gate saga, resigned, effective immediately.
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But faster than a Novak Djokovic first serve, by May 2 she was back.
Wood shared the happy news that Sheer had been appointed as the club's new marketing and communications manager, following a 'rigorous recruitment process' led by Robson and people and culture manager Jo Westover.
