The Wellington Badminton Club is the oldest existing badminton club in the Wellington area and also one of the oldest badminton clubs in New Zealand. According to the records of Dick Vallance, former Badminton administrator, the Wellington Badminton Club was formed in 1928 and played in the Sydney Street Hall (off Molesworth Street). The Club celebrated its 75^th anniversary in 2003 to mark this occasion.

The Club has minutes dating back to the late 1950’s and it appears that the Club moved to Badminton Hall in 1959, although play was on Monday evenings. The Club changed to Thursday evenings around 1984.

Some interesting notes from 1959 AGM minutes: Subs were 3 pounds 10 and membership was 46. Membership was not automatic - one had to apply and sometimes prospective members’ applications were rejected.

Also of note are various names associated with badminton from the late 1950’s onwards, both at Club level and Association – Lubransky, Compton, Vause, Vallance, Musker, Garnham (Mike Garnham is now the WBA Solicitor).

Since the early 1980’s three former and one current member of the Club have also served on the Wellington Badminton Association in the capacity of President – Martin Lubransky, Jason Lubransky, Duncan Heath and Anna Chapman.

Graham Parker established a Junior Club in 1996, which operated 5.30-7pm on Thursday evenings, and the responsibility for this was then taken on by the Association in 2000.

Wellington Badminton Club has maintained strong membership and structure since the early 1980s, and two Life Members, Denise Fabian and Martyn Macpherson, have held various Executive positions on the Club Committee over the past 20 years. We have been fortunate to have had a healthy core group over that time, many of whom are still involved today.

Peter Sugden

President

Wellington Badminton Club