Notable relative - Gemmell Payne – Champion tennis player
Gemmell A. M. Payne
Gemmell’s tennis success goes back to the time when his father, Allen Payne and family moved from Cambrai to a farm at Pata, near Loxton in the Murray Mallee.
His early education was at Markeri school (King-of-the River) for a short time. He left school at age 14 to help his father on the farm and Gem became a dedicated mallee farmer - hard working, resourceful and philosophical.
However, it is Gemmell’s career in the sport of tennis that is recognised as being one of the outstanding achievements in the history of South Australian tennis.
Allen Payne cleared, scraped and levelled two dirt courts and erected a brick wall for practice. On these courts Allen Payne coached and encouraged his four children to play tennis. Allen and the three girls of the family became competent players in their own right, however it was Gemmell who became one of the best players of his era. He did not have the advantage of professional coaching, good facilities or top players for practice, but through his tenacity and natural ability he was able to reach the stage of having numerous tournament wins.
Tennis career
His first success was at the age of fourteen when he won the 'B' Grade men’s singles handicap at the Tintra tournament at Renmark. This was followed by twice winning the S.A.L.T.A. Schoolboys championship in Adelaide in successive years.
In 1930 he was selected to play in the Linton Cup interstate competition and he journeyed to Melbourne with the three other members of the team Adrian Quist, Don Turnbull and George Thomas.
Gemmell played in many local tournaments and holds the trophies for singles and doubles after five times winning the Upper Murray championship as it was then called. The years 1936 and 1937 saw his finest achievement in winning the S.A. Country Singles title two years in succession.
Not only did he succeed as a player but he spent many years coaching young players. He was still playing A grade tennis at 64 years of age.
Gemmell married Ruth Gratton, daughter of Frank L. Gratton. He died in Loxton in 2003.
Gemmell’s tennis success goes back to the time when his father, Allen Payne and family moved from Cambrai to a farm at Pata, near Loxton in the Murray Mallee.
His early education was at Markeri school (King-of-the River) for a short time. He left school at age 14 to help his father on the farm and Gem became a dedicated mallee farmer - hard working, resourceful and philosophical.
However, it is Gemmell’s career in the sport of tennis that is recognised as being one of the outstanding achievements in the history of South Australian tennis.
Allen Payne cleared, scraped and levelled two dirt courts and erected a brick wall for practice. On these courts Allen Payne coached and encouraged his four children to play tennis. Allen and the three girls of the family became competent players in their own right, however it was Gemmell who became one of the best players of his era. He did not have the advantage of professional coaching, good facilities or top players for practice, but through his tenacity and natural ability he was able to reach the stage of having numerous tournament wins.
Tennis career
His first success was at the age of fourteen when he won the 'B' Grade men’s singles handicap at the Tintra tournament at Renmark. This was followed by twice winning the S.A.L.T.A. Schoolboys championship in Adelaide in successive years.
In 1930 he was selected to play in the Linton Cup interstate competition and he journeyed to Melbourne with the three other members of the team Adrian Quist, Don Turnbull and George Thomas.
Gemmell played in many local tournaments and holds the trophies for singles and doubles after five times winning the Upper Murray championship as it was then called. The years 1936 and 1937 saw his finest achievement in winning the S.A. Country Singles title two years in succession.
Not only did he succeed as a player but he spent many years coaching young players. He was still playing A grade tennis at 64 years of age.
Gemmell married Ruth Gratton, daughter of Frank L. Gratton. He died in Loxton in 2003.
