As director and senior coach of Roselands Tennis Complex, she directed school holiday coaching clinics supported by coaches of the ilk of John Newcombe, with proceeds going to the Channel 10 Christmas Appeal.
For females to prosper in sport, having other women in their corner to offer a foothold and dependable leadership are essential components.
Sometimes that support is invisible, but it allows things to expand and to flow.
The following is a list of Jan MacDonald’s contribution to women’s sport in South Australia:
It reflects a woman deeply committed to participating, competing, and to leading, providing a supported pathway and opportunities for others.
Jan was educated at Walford Grammar School and her skills and competitive will were obvious from a young age, dominating the State’s junior ranks – winning the SA Junior singles titles in the U12, U15, U16, U17, and U18 age groups through the late 1950s.
She toured Europe and USA with a SA junior team, continuing her dominant presence winning the East of Scotland doubles and mixed doubles.
Jan MacDonald was a top ranked senior player in SA for a decade from 1963-73, after winning State open hardcourt doubles for several years and was a finalist in the State open women’s hardcourt championships in 1964, which followed victory in the City of Adelaide championships.
Into the 1980s, her capacity to augment the game for youngsters continued. As director and senior coach of Roselands Tennis Complex, she directed school holiday coaching clinics supported by coaches of the ilk of John Newcombe, with proceeds going to the Channel 10 Christmas Appeal.
She is rightly an inducted member of Tennis SA’s Club of Legends.
