Faith Thomas typifies the resolute Cantabrian who has fought back from disaster to rebuild her life.
Her house and car were wrecked in the February earthquake that hit Christchurch and two of the four courts at her local Mount Pleasant Tennis Club were badly damaged.
Thomas (80), a retired librarian, did not sit back and grizzle about her predicament.
She planned for the future.
She is now living in a unit at Avonhead on the other side of Christchurch.
"It's miles away from where I want to play tennis," she said.
"But there are lots of people worse off than me.
"Some people have been stuck in the same position throughout last year and can't see any way through. At least I know I will be able to rebuild."
She intends to rebuild in the same suburb of Mount Pleasant.
"I like it there and I'm too old to uproot too much. I love it there despite the earthquakes"
Two of the four courts at the Mount Pleasant Tennis Club were not affected by the earthquake but the other two have big cracks in them.
"But we are lucky and can still play on all four courts," she said.
"A lot of members from the nearby Redcliffs Club have joined Mount Pleasant because their courts have been written off."
Thomas played tennis when she was a pupil at Rangi Ruru High School but then stopped for 27 years.
It is her first New Zealand Masters Games and she has found the break away from the earthquakes and aftershocks of Christchurch refreshing.
"That's why I came, to be honest," she said.
Thomas played in the carnival doubles with Sue Morley (62), of Dunedin, who is an early childhood teacher.
Morley has played tennis for 55 years and represented North Otago Country when she lived in Palmerston.
She won a gold medal in the women's doubles at the Masters Games four years ago.
"It felt good playing with Faith," Morley said. "We gelled very quickly. She is a very steady player."
Carnival tennis is a novel way of mixing people. The officials pair them up by mixing the oldest with the youngest players.
Thomas and Morley had never met before and found tennis a pleasant way to get to know and understand each other.
"It was fun playing with Sue," Thomas said. 'We are so used to playing with the same people at the club.
'This is different. I found it a real challenge playing with totally different people. It's a good idea. It mixes everybody up."
Thomas tripped early in the game and fell on the court and cut her lip but was given encouragement by Morley throughout the game.
Thomas will also be playing in the women's doubles.
"But they haven't got a man for me in the mixed doubles yet," Thomas quipped.
