Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington and tennis great Roy Emerson inspect the bronze statue for the first time after they officially unveiled it
Roy Emerson and his wife Joy, left, chat with Deb Frecklington in front of the statue

January 19, 2017

Retired tennis great – and former Blackbutt boy – Roy Emerson has been hailed as the best sportsman the South Burnett has ever produced.

Big words indeed. But the praise, by former South Burnett mayor Wayne Kratzmann, sparked a round of applause on Wednesday from the large crowd gathered for the official unveiling of a bronze statue of the tennis champ.

The monument, organised by the Blackbutt & District Tourism & Heritage Association (BDTHA), has been erected on a plinth at the rear of the Roy Emerson Museum (Nukku Nook) at the head of the rail trail in Blackbutt.

The project was driven by BDTHA member Hazel Christie-Small who has been organising fundraising events and writing funding applications for more than 12 months.

Roy Emerson, 80, and his wife Joy, as well as other former champions – household names to Australian tennis fans – were present for the official unveiling.

Guest speakers included Ashley Cooper (the world No 1 amateur player in 1957-58), Wendy Turnbull (who won nine Grand Slam titles) and, of course, Roy himself.

Their tennis stories kept the big crowd laughing.

Messages of support were also read out, including one from writer and raconteur Hugh Lunn who noted that recognition of Roy Emerson was long overdue.

However, Roy wasn’t so sure, commenting that there were more deserving people  … “but I’ll take it!”

“I never thought when I was riding Tidbits (as a child) and gathering up the cows in Blackbutt that this would happen,” he said.

Related articles:

A line-up of sporting talent … Australian tennis greats Ashley Cooper  AO, Mal Anderson MBE and Wendy Turnbull MBE with the man of the hour, Roy Emerson 
Jane Bailey and Mark Snell, from Lavaworx at Coolum Beach … Mark was the sculptor who created the design for the Emerson statue
Barry Richardson and Hazel Christie-Small from the Blackbutt & District Tourism & Heritage Association 
Tennis legend Roy Emerson, who lives these days in the United States, with Member for Maranoa David Littleproud
Former South Burnett mayor Wayne Kratzmann and his wife Eleanor
Current South Burnett mayor Keith Campbell and his wife Marion
Multiple Grand Slam winner Wendy Turnbull gets a “thank you” kiss from Roy Emerson after she shared some anecdotes about him with the crowd
Wendy Turnbull and former World No 1 Ashley Cooper with Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington
The Sponsors Wall, which acknowledged Gold, Silver and Bronze level donations to the statue project, has been designed to represent a tennis net

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One Response to "Roy’s Our Boy In Blackbutt"

  1. Well what a great write up on the unveiling of the Roy Emerson Statue in Blackbutt on Wednesday. The photos are brilliant, great job once more. On behalf of the Blackbutt & District Tourism & Heritage Assoc., may I thank you for your continued support and help throughout this and the other projects we have undertaken. Wishing you both an astonishingly wonderful and prosperous New Year.

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