She said it was one of the most important moments of her tennis career in the Wimmera.

“The best part of seniors is being able to win a premiership with my mum and my dad. That was really good. I was only 16,” she said.

It was her parents – John and Margaret Burford – who instilled in her a love for tennis when she was a child.

“(I’ve played tennis) since I was about five or six,” she said. “Mum and Dad were very good tennis players. We were down here at Central Park hitting all the time from a real young age.”

Perkin remembers enjoying her junior years at Central Park alongside mentor Marg Ledger.

“The thing I loved about juniors was being at Central Park with Marg Ledger. She organised us all and kept us in line,” she said. 

Following juniors, Perkin played seniors with Horsham Lawn until she was 18. She took a year off and then joined Drung South, where she finds herself now. 

Playing in pennant, Perkin helped Drung South make the grand final last year and the team is on their way to another finals season this year.

“We’re second at the moment,” she said. “We’re out there to win but also to have fun. It’s such a good club to be around.”

Alongside her playing commitments Perkin is in her second year as the president of the Central Wimmera Tennis Association. 

“I oversee the association – sort of being that face for the association,” she said. “I really don’t do a lot, to be honest – it’s Karen Cooper, our secretary, who does most of the work.”

Just as playing tennis runs in the family, so does being president of the association. 

“My dad was the president before I was,” she said. “He stepped out of tennis and went and played bowls. He stepped right away and said, ‘Well I’m going to nominate you whether you like it or not’. I went with it and it’s been good. 

“We’ve been able to make some changes, like introducing more Friday night tennis. We want more people to come and play tennis and stay playing tennis.”

Perkin loves her tennis in the Wimmera and hopes to use her position as president to bring more people to their local clubs to play the game.

“It’s such a good social competition around here,” she said. “It’s so good to go out and try and beat everyone on the court but as soon as you get off the court, you’re sitting back and having a chat – and that’s the best part of tennis. Off the court you should be able to sit together as mates.” 

Just don’t get in her way if she’s at the net, ready for a smash.

“Everyone clears the court when I line up for a smash,” she said.