Welcome to the website of the Canterbury Squash Foundation

A voluntary organisation of Cantabrian squash players who have enjoyed playing, administering and coaching squash for many years and work at helping others enjoy it too.

The website will gradually build up a huge collection of information about squash events and squash players from the Canterbury region. It contains reports, newspaper articles and photos of squash people and events both current and historical. We hope you will find something of interest to you, and that you may join in some of the Foundation activities one day. At present the key activities you may have participated in are the Foundation Launch Dinner, The Squash Ball, the Legends of Squash Awards Evenings and the Golf Tournament, traditionally held at Greendale Golf Club

If you have scrap books, club historical information or ideas you think could be added please don’t hesitate to contact one of the Canterbury Squash Foundation Trustees (they are identified elsewhere on the site).

The Canterbury Squash Foundation website does not have information on the program of squash in Canterbury for this year. That is found via “Squash Canterbury”, a complementary organisation tasked with administering squash in Canterbury. To go to their website click the button.

Visit Squash Canterbury

Origins of the Foundation

The idea for the Canterbury Squash Foundation was formed by Ed Post and Lawrence Skurr, two long-serving members of the Canterbury squash community. The Foundation is not part of Squash Canterbury, the organisation charged with administering the game of squash in Canterbury. Rather it is an independent body with it’s own aims and objectives. These objectives will continue to evolve, but they are all about helping to develop or maintain squash in Canterbury in some way or other outside the organisational function of Squash Canterbury. You can read about these under the section “Purpose”.

The Canterbury Squash Foundation board was initially Ed Post, Lawrence Skurr, Murray Withers, David Hawes and Doug Lawrie. Several of these had been President of Canterbury Squash (or the old “Canterbury Squash Rackets Association” ) at some stage. Lawrence Skurr resigned from the Board at the end of 2019, and it currently comprises the originals – Post, Withers, Hawes, Lawrie – along with Rod Hayes, Paul McFadzien and Sue Wasley. Others who have served on the Board are Stu Camp and Mary Turnbull. Ed Post was chairman for the first 7 years, and was succeeded by Rod Hayes in 2019.

Foundation Activities

The Foundation launched with a “Squash Players Dinner” held at the Chateau on the Park, Christchurch, in 2009. This was well attended and featured former squash player and very successful sports writer Joseph Romanos interviewing several Canterbury squash personalities to give some insights into squash in Canterbury during the 1970s and 80s.

Financial assistance

The Foundation’s launching dinner was deemed an “earthquake fundraiser” and generated a tidy sum. It initially thought to use this to help with earthquake repairs to damaged squash clubs. But the sums sought were large, and some of the projects seemed unsuitable. So after consultation with the squash community it was agreed the Foundation would retain the money and use it later for squash causes it deemed worthy. Further funds were raised through the annual golf tournaments, and the “Squash Ball”, a dance night for squash players held in 2016.

One early decision was to help support financially three young players who seemed to be making their mark at a high level. Financial assistance to travel overseas to gain competitive experience was provided to Paul Coll, Megan Craig and Chris van der Salm. Each of these players showed a suitable benefit, with Paul and Megan becoming travelling professionals and Chris winning the NZ U/23 championship twice. Megan Craig won the NZ Women’s Championships in 2014 and 2016 and in 2019 Paul Coll, once a junior player from Greymouth, became ranked in the top 5 players in the world.

Public Health

Another initiative of the Canterbury Squash Foundation was to provide defibrillators to al the squash clubs in the Canterbury region that did not already have one. Funding was sought, and received, and to date almost all the clubs in Canterbury have one of these to use if an emergency should ever occur.

Golf Event

The Foundation runs an annual fundraising golf tournament. This has been held at the Greendale Golf Club and has generally been a hot day of golfing fun in the country. The event has some regular sponsors, and more would be welcome.

Legends of Canterbury Squash Awards dinner

In 2018 the Canterbury Squash Foundation started a new initiative with the first ever "Legends of Canterbury Squash Awards dinner". This dinner recognised the efforts of nine people from the Canterbury squash district who had all made their mark somehow.