Rally as One, a national program to support bushfire affected communities, visited the Adelaide Hills on Sunday 21 February, supported by the Australian Open (AO) and Australian Tennis Foundation (ATF).
Rally
as One was
launched in November to support bushfire affected communities. It comes after
the global tennis community united to raise more than $6 million in January as
part of the Australian Open’s Aces for Bushfire Relief initiative.
The
fundraising efforts were showcased worldwide at Rally for Relief, a
spectacular night of tennis and entertainment led by Roger Federer, Serena
Williams, Rafael Nadal, Caroline Wozniacki, Novak Djokovic,
Nick Kyrgios and Petra Kvitova.
The
funds raised are being used to help communities rebuild in some of the areas
worst affected by the bushfires last year, as well as delivering programs to
support families and build resilience in kids.
“It
was heartbreaking to see so many communities devastated by the bushfires that
swept across the country in January last year,” Australian Tennis Foundation
Executive Director Vicki Reid said.
“Rebuilding
homes and infrastructure is a long and difficult road and we wish to support
the people in the community during this time. We’ve designed Rally as One to
help everyone come together, celebrate community spirit and promote social
cohesion, knowing they have the support of the entire global tennis family.”
The
Cudlee Creek fire took hold just days prior to Christmas in 2019, with towns
such as Lobethal, Woodside, Brukunga, Charleston, Harrogate and Mount Torrens
in its path. The fire was only declared under control two weeks later having
destroyed over 23,000 hectares, 98 homes, over 500 buildings and more than 300
vehicles. Tragically, one life was lost.
As part of Rally as One, the Tennis SA team joined with the Adelaide Hills community at the Mount Torrens Tennis Club and Football Oval for a day of ANZ Tennis Hot Shots, social tennis, fun activations, raffles and giveaways.
Our thanks to the Mount Torrens Tennis Club, Torrens Valley Tennis Association, Mount Torrens Football Club, Mount Torrens and District Community Association, Country Fire Service, Bushfire Kids Connect, Mount Torrens Scout Group, Animals Anonymous, Jump First Jumping Castles and local stallholders for their generous support of the event.
Since
November 2020, Rally as One has visited Kangaroo Island (SA), Yeppoon (QLD),
Cobargo (NSW) and Mallacoota (Vic) to
support the rebuild of local tennis clubs, deliver racquets to school students,
host community events and encourage more people to play tennis.
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