Esna Boyd (1918) has been inducted into the Tennis Australia Hall of Fame. At PLC, Esna was a sportswoman, scholar, actor and leader. After performing the lead role in the school musical and fulfilling a series of leadership roles, her wide-ranging contribution to school life culminated in her appointment as Head Prefect (School Captain) for 1918. In this role she offered leadership to her fellow students at a challenging time. It was four years into World War I, many thousands of Australian families were grieving loved ones and girls were losing enthusiasm for war efforts such as knitting. Writing in the school magazine, Patchwork, Esna urged girls to persevere, not only with knitting but with their learning and sport as a contribution to the nation’s future.

As well as being an outstanding leader, Esna was a tennis champion at PLC, securing one of the coveted four places in the school team at only fourteen years old. She went on to clinch the school tennis championship, receiving the trophy from none other than Dame Nellie Melba. Not content to be champion of PLC, Esna became Schoolgirl Tennis Champion of Victoria, and from there her tennis career took off.  

Esna reached the final of the first seven women’s singles finals at the Australian Open (then called the Australasian Championships), winning one of them as well as multiple doubles titles and State Champion titles in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.

As well as her successes on home soil, Esna Boyd was in the first Australian team to play at Wimbledon, captaining the team on its second tour. In the days before formal world rankings, prominent tennis writers rated her in the world’s top ten players. Even after marrying and starting a family in Scotland, her success continued: she won six Scottish hardcourt titles and was even runner-up at her final outing aged 40.

Despite her busy international career, Esna Boyd remained a cherished member of the school community. Before moving to Scotland, she was an active member of the Old Collegians’ Association, and when she returned from tennis tours, she was guest of honour at Old Collegians’ functions. Long after she moved to Scotland, her triumphs were eagerly followed by the school community and reported in Patchwork. 

Reflecting on her time at PLC and its impact on both her tennis career and life, Esna commented: ‘I owe much to PLC, for there I learned to play the game, and to smile when beaten, which is not always easy when you are tired—in fact, to play the game of life all round. The College gave me a wonderful start in life.’

Esna Boyd is now included in the Joan Montgomery Centre’s honour board, a fitting tribute to this outstanding Old Collegian.