Blackheath is holding an Australia Day Family Picnic event on Sunday with vintage cars, pipe band, ukuleles, Rotary sausage sizzle wagon and scores of outdoor activities for children.
The Blackheath Tennis Club in conjunction with Rotary Club of Blackheath, is organising the inaugural event on January 26 at Blackheath Oval, Clan William Street from 10am till 3pm.
The day is being held to help support the community following the bushfires.
The "community united" event was a way of releasing "the tension of the last couple of months" said organiser Eddie McCoy, who is also president of the tennis club and Rotary Club treasurer.
"Blackheath came under serious threat from the recent fires and being a tourist destination, local businesses have been devastated with up to 80 per cent drop in turnover over the last couple of months. Tourists and some locals just stayed away. The whole community in fact needs to overcome the stress of this fire event.
"It is safe now to come back to the Blue Mountains and our community has returned to some normality."
Pack a picnic and come along to hear live music, cricket and football for kids as well as a free tennis open day. Test your skills against the SpinFire Ball Machine plus ANZ HotShots tennis for three- to nine-year-olds. (Hot shots introduces young children to the game on smaller courts with lighter racquets, lower nets and low compression balls.) It will also be an opportunity to meet and thank the emergency services legends who did so much to save the town from disaster. There will also be cricket ball bowling and batting machines, music, pinata and water events.
"The Rotary club will be providing free lunch to our RFS Legends, emergency personnel and their families," Mr McCoy added.
Queries contact Carol Lemon on 0400 663 260 or lemon.mccoy@gmail.com.
