Curtin great-grandfather Gordon Robson, who turned 90 on Thursday, plays tennis twice a week at the Reid Tennis Club and has no plans to stop.
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"It was on my bucket list - to be still playing tennis when I turned 90," he said.
Born in 1933, Gordon is almost as old as the tree-shaded tennis club, which was established in 1928.
His tennis mates made sure to spoil him for his 90th birthday, bringing in champagne, sushi and cake ("Well Played" read the icing) after their game on Friday morning.
Mr Robson, who was born on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait and evacuated with his family to Brisbane during World War Two, has been playing tennis for 72 years, the last 50 as an insulin-dependent diabetic.
He usually sticks to forehand but can still get around the court and has a handy serve. He always wears whites. The game has helped to keep him young.
"My father passed away at 92 and my mother at 89. I've got good genes," he said.
Mr Robson lives with his wife of 66 years, Cynthia, in the same home in Curtin they moved into in 1965.
One of 10 children, he started work at 14. He met Cynthia at a Brisbane motor parts business when she started in accounts.
"Love at first sight," he reckons.
In 1953, he was one of 97 Queenslanders selected to attend Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. He was eligible because he was ex-national service.
"Not only did I march in the coronation, I marched into Buckingham Palace and stood guard on Buckingham Palace," he said.
Mr Robson worked in auditing and moved to Canberra in 1965 to join the Public Service Board. He was accepted into the ACT housing list and chose the home in Curtin, despite his boss at the time reckoning it was "North Cooma".
Tennis has been a constant. In his 20s in Brisbane, he played against a short 13-year-old who'd come down from Rockhampton. His name was Rod Laver.
"We'd never heard of him," Mr Robson said. "I thought, 'I don't want to humiliate a child'."
Walking off the court after being beaten in the first set 6-2, Mr Robson started to think a little differently.
"I thought, 'He's going to be good!," he said, with a laugh.
Laver is still his favourite tennis player, Mr Robson noting he won the grand slam in 1962 and 1969 while the current crop of players "have not won one of them".
A father of four sons and a grandfather and great-grandfather, Mr Robson finished his working life as an attendant at the High Court.
And there is always tennis, every Tuesday and Friday morning.
Megan Doherty
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
