Back then, the club only had four courts – that's all they were allowed. How things have changed.

Scores of Canberrans filled the club's 12 courts for the Tristan Knowles Kid's Cancer foundation for the Canberra School of Tennis and the Weston Creek Tennis Club's 'Tennis Carnivale' event on Saturday.

"It's wonderful," Simm said. "Look at them today, and they're all for this Tristan Knowles. This is wonderful, I think it's marvellous."

Knowles was diagnosed with bone cancer at just 9 years old and endured 22 courses of chemotherapy coupled with a leg amputation and a relapse. Today he is a Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair basketball.

Canberra School of Tennis founder Mark Walton said the event was extra personal for him.

"I've known Tristan for 25-odd years, and I knew him through a good friend of mine who dealt with him as a companion when he had cancer," Walton said.

"It's great to have that personal connection, we can do something that's worthwhile and it's great for people to come along and enjoy some tennis outdoors."

The event brought players as young as 4-year-old Zachary Thomas and 77-year-old Simm together through tennis to raise funds for the foundation.

"That's probably the biggest thing about what we try to provide," Walton said.

"Our slogan actually is 'The game for life', and I think that probably fits the bill for what we try and provide here.

"If I could picture this and just show everyone how fantastic something like this is, it's probably the most satisfying thing. Some of us have only had one, maybe two hours sleep in the last 36 hours, but when you see all this, it's just fantastic."