November 25, 2015
A life-size bronze statue of tennis champion Roy Emerson will be erected in Blackbutt following a successful fundraising lunch held in the town at the weekend.
Lunch organiser Hazel Christie-Small told southburnett.com.au sculptor Mark Snell will now be given the go-ahead to begin work on the statue in January.
Hazel said the lunch, which also featured an auction of tennis memorabilia, had been “a great success”.
Guests paid $50 a head to listen to guest speakers Mal Anderson – another Australian tennis great – and author and raconteur Hugh Lunn who has written extensively about another Queensland tennis champ, Ken Fletcher
Hugh revealed an unexpected link between his mate “Fletch”, an Aussie larrikin who died of cancer in 2006, and Blackbutt … Fletch’s mother Ethel was born there.
Roy Emerson, who now lives in the United States, grew up at Nukku and became, in the words of Mal Anderson, “one of the best backhand volleyers that tennis has ever seen”.
Mal, who married Roy’s sister Daphne, said his brother-in-law was also one of the best doubles players Australian tennis had produced.
The cost to erect the bronze statue has been estimated at $65,000.
A single donor, Bermuda and Tasmanian businessman Sanders Frith-Brown, is contributing half the cost.
Other individual donors have also contributed to the fundraising.
On Saturday, another $2100 was raised from an auction, including $700 for an autographed and framed photo of Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova.
Related articles:
- Last Chance To Book For Tennis Lunch
- No Way For Roy Emerson
- Petition Lodged To Honour Emerson
- Tennis Champ Has A Ball In Blackbutt
- Tennis Legend To Visit Blackbutt
