Badminton

Badminton was played, rarely, from the 1870s, but there was a surge of enthusiasm in the 1920s. Churches promoted it as a social game that could be played in parish halls with inexpensive equipment, and it burgeoned round the state with many clubs formed. By 1928 the Tasmanian Badminton Association's annual four-day tournament was the largest in Australia, and the Association claimed that badminton was the one sport where Tasmania could beat any mainland state. National titles were played from 1935, with Tasmania's Tim Thompson, Keith Johnstone and Beryl Cuthbertson winning championships.

The Second World War brought a hiatus, but badminton was immensely popular from the 1950s, with Don Murray, Ken Turner, Ross Livingston, Dulcie King and Bev Hite national champions. Badminton remains a popular sport at school and club level.

Further reading: D Young, Sporting Island, Hobart, 2005.

Alison Alexander and David Young