Children and young teenagers can enjoy a safe night out in Mittagong during the Blue Light Disco on April 28.
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The Blue Light Disco originated in Victoria in March 1983 and reached the Southern Highlands in June the same year.
The first town to host a Blue Light Disco in New South Wales was Deniliquin.
The disco was established as a community program to provide a pathway for police to interact with younger people.
The Southern Highlands’ Blue Light Disco is run by seven volunteers.
President Chris Roberson has been a volunteer since 1993 and said he was proud of the three-generation support received from the disco since it was first introduced to the area.
“Grandparents and parents that used to attend the discos as kids now bring their children and grandchildren with them,” Mr Roberson said.
“It provides a different form of entertainment for the kids as opposed to going to the cinemas. There’s also a lot of sports in the Highlands.”
Mr Roberson said there was once a time where huge groups would travel by train from Cabramatta to the Highlands specifically for the disco.
Attendee numbers would reach 1800 people up until five years ago when the Highlands seniors’ disco was cancelled, which Mr Roberson described as the most successful disco in New South Wales.
“This wasn’t a light decision, but we had to do it for the safety of the community,” Mr Roberson said.
“Young people would hang outside the Bowral Memorial Hall where it used to be held and would cause trouble.
“It wasn’t the people attending the disco that were the problem – it was the people outside.”
Now, the Blue Light Disco attracts 115 young people at each event.
Although Mr Roberson said there had been some years in between where there was no police involvement, the next Blue Light Disco will have a visit from the Southern Highlands PCYC police.
Mr Roberson said this would be a great opportunity for the community to interact with the police.
“Most kids just see it as a disco,” Mr Roberson said.
“It has changed a lot over the years. We used to take bus loads of kids to Luna Park, bus trips and occasional pool parties.”
10 Blue Light Discos are held throughout the Highlands each year.
Since the first disco in 1983, $800,000 has been distributed back into the community.
The money raised from previous discos had been used to support various community programs, which had given Mr Roberson a sense of pride to have been involved in the program.
These community programs include support given to art groups, schools, sporting groups and maintaining hospital equipment.
The next disco will be held at Mittagong RSL from 4pm to 6.30pm on April 28.
Mr Roberson encouraged everyone to attend.
“Give it a go if you have not been before. It’s a great social exercise for everyone and is a good opportunity for children to meet other children outside their school,” he said.
“That’s my favourite thing about these discos – seeing the kids have a good time and it’s good to see a lot of adults in there, too.”
The Blue Light Disco will cost $5 per child between the ages of four and 14.
Parents and children under three are free.
There will be the opportunity to win gift vouchers for The Creative Kid, Empire Cinemas, EB Games and Sanity.