27 January 2017 | Tennis Queensland

Roy Emerson has returned to his home town of Blackbutt where he was bestowed the ultimate honour – a life-sized statue.

The tennis great, now 80, braved the heat of Blackbutt, 115km northwest of Brisbane, for an honour he never thought possible when he was herding cows as a boy on the family farm in the 1940s.

“I’m terribly proud of this statue,’’ he said, “and very grateful. I really appreciate everything that the community has done in putting it here. It’s something I never could envision gathering up the cows barefoot all those years ago.’’

The statue was unveiled in January during an official ceremony attended by fellow tennis greats Ashley Cooper, Wendy Turnbull and Mal Anderson. The unveiling took place at the Roy Emerson Museum, formerly the building of Emerson’s primary school, where he first learnt to play the game.

Reflecting on his childhood in Blackbutt, the 80-year-old clearly hasn’t lost his sense of cheek and humour.

“It was my job to round up the cows each morning and night. Sometimes I’d wake in the morning and it would be frosty and very cold and I never wore any shoes until I was about 14, and while my feet were getting frostbitten I couldn’t wait for the next cow to raise its tail and do its business. I’d race over and stand in the cow dung and it was heaven.”

It took the Blackbutt & District Tourism and Heritage Association two years to raise the money to erect the monument, a feat not lost on the tennis legend who won 28 Grand Slam titles.

“I don’t think I really deserve this statue…but I’ll take it!”

Speaking at the event, Ashley Cooper told the crowd that everywhere Roy went in his days as the world’s No. 1 player, he told people that in Queensland pet kangaroos were used to carry home the shopping.

Cooper, who spent a month rooming in London with Roy on their first trip to Wimbledon in 1954, said he was woken every morning by Emerson who had him in a headlock.

“It certainly woke you up pretty quickly,’’ Cooper said. “I was very glad when Wimbledon was over.’’

“I don’t think I really deserve this statue I think there are more deserving people…but I’ll take it!”

Wendy Turnbull also delighted the crowd with stories of years playing alongside Roy Emerson.

She told the crowd how Roy would tell tall tales to gullible fans overseas that before taking up tennis he had worked as a “banana bender’’ in country Queensland, someone who twisted the fruit into its distinctive shape.

But jokes aside, she also said it was high time he was honoured in this way.

“We should be recognising our champions…I thought Emmo hadn’t had the recognition he truly deserves” she said. “His record speaks for itself… But above all that, Roy is a great person as well and that’s what’s really important.’’