Everyone loves competing, winning medals and being involved in a sporting event, but without the amazing people behind the scenes these sporting events, tournaments and leagues would not be possible.

Table Tennis Victoria’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ are our volunteers, coaches, parents and anyone who goes above and beyond to help make table tennis a great sport and deserves a bit of extra recognition for their brilliant work.

Earlier in the year we had a chat to Bruce Carter, who has been involved in table tennis for almost 50 years after starting at the age of 15.

Bruce spent 36 years running the table tennis section of the Oak Park Youth Club, 30 as president of the club, he’s been to 15 interstate carnivals, more than 30 Junior, Under 21, Senior and Veteran Championships. He did not miss a single session of the table tennis during the 2018 Commonwealth Games and has taken on almost every role you can think of when it comes to volunteering and working in table tennis. Including coaching, managing, driving around players, taking hall bookings and numerous other roles.

Because of his amazing work Bruce is a life member of the Oak Park and Coburg Table Tennis Clubs as well as the Victorian Public Service and Australian Public Service Table Tennis Associations. 

“I got involved when I was 15, I had a sporting dad and a brother who was four years older which meant they bowled too fast at cricket or I couldn’t get them out and they were too big and strong when it came to footy,” said Bruce.

“But we had an old homemade table tennis table in the back yard, and I could hold my own on that.”

It was not long before Bruce and his friend Peter found the Oak Park Youth Club where table tennis was being played and was a short 20-minute walk from their street.

“It was a group of kids playing ping pong in a little room, you would pay the treasurer Jessie Morris 20c as you enter and off you go,” recalled Bruce.

“I happened to be the best player there so with no knowledge of the sport I started coaching the others.

“Then I found out about Albert Park, so I started group sessions with Keith Keane. Eventually my kids also joined Keith’s groups some 25 years later at Coburg where I would spend over 13 years as a manager.”

In his 20s Bruce was coaching and organising pennant at Oak Park on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Wednesday night he organised Table Tennis Victoria’s pennant and helped Oak park build up to 6 pennant teams.

On Thursday nights was Public Service night, beginning in lower grades but he worked through the sections and commenced a 20-year career as an A grade player.

This led to Bruce becoming a Victorian Public Service representative at the Australian Public Service Championships for 15 years. Even his honeymoon was an Australian Public Service Championship held in Adelaide.

Despite being involved for almost five decades, Bruce still loves the sport as well as the people in table tennis and hopes to be remembered fondly.

“I do have loads of fun; I like to treat people as I would like to be treated myself. Hopefully I will be remembered as a larrikin who gave nearly every player/member at Coburg some cheek or a nick name, some which have stuck for many years,” said Bruce.

“Even if you volunteer your time and do minor roles you are helping and, in an era, where good help is hard to find I guarantee no matter how much or how little you do your club needs you.”

When asked what was so great about table tennis and giving his time to the sport, Bruce answered with ease.

“It’s the people, it’s the fun you can have, it’s the pure pleasure of watching someone develop with your help, maybe not as a player but seeing someone contribute to your club when they thought they had nothing to offer is great,” said Bruce.

“I love seeing the pleasure that players get when they mix or watch the elite players. In this sport they can actually compete against the best or train with them sometimes.

“For volunteers and umpires/officials you do not have to be a champion player to be involved in high level sports, the same can be said about helping your club run functions or helping out in any form at State and National events.

“All these things cannot be done without the help of volunteers.”

Bruce has had an unbelievable career within table tennis and has always put his hand up to help the sport, which is something TTV is immensely grateful for.

If you know anyone from your club that goes above and beyond and would make a great Unsung Hero, please contact Jason at mmo@tabletennisvic.org.au.