Elderly Whitehorse ping-pong players feel "invisible" as future of sport hall up in the air

The hall currently hosts more than 350 players a week, including in table tennis, badminton and indoor bowls.

Matthew Sims
October 14, 2025

Walk into Mahoney’s Reserve recreational hall, in Forest Hill, on a Tuesday afternoon and you’ll hear the steady click-clack of table tennis balls and bursts of laughter as players celebrate a good shot.

For a group of older Whitehorse locals, it’s not about winning — it’s about friendship, movement, and belonging. But lately, uncertainty hangs over their hall as Whitehorse Council plans a major redevelopment of the Mahoney’s Reserve Pavilion.

How we got here: In 2022, Whitehorse Council launched public consultation, floating the idea of building one shared pavilion for the cricket and soccer clubs, Scouts and indoor sports.

However, the council paused any redevelopment of the northern pavilion, instead moving forward with preparing a new masterplan for the 9.8-hectare reserve as a whole.

The first round of consultation closed in January 2024, with the draft plan expected to go to a second round early next year and be adopted by June.

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The facility would include 25 courts and be open for more than 14 hours, seven days a week.

No age limit: Whitehorse Activities Club (WAC) member Helen St John, who’s played for eight years, said the sport keeps her feeling young.

“Rather than feeling like I’m 75, I feel like I’m 15,” she said.

Other players in the group were as old as 90.

Hands off our hall: Helen St John said she and other players felt ignored in the consultation process.

“We feel like we’re being shoved off,” she said.

“As you age, you become invisible.”

WAC table tennis leader Bruce Haines said the 1968-built hall should be preserved as a place for indoor sports.

“Table tennis is the poor cousin to outdoor sports in Whitehorse,” he said.

“It keeps me fit and very active”: How is walking basketball helping older Whitehorse residents stay healthy?

Walking basketball’s rules include only two players being allowed in the court’s semi-circles at one time and keeping a metre’s distance when defending the ball.

Tossing up options: Mayor Andrew Davenport said council was “working closely with the community and key stakeholders” about how the reserve is currently used, conducting technical investigations, and developing options for the draft masterplan.