Glenn McGrath will attend a black tie ball on July 7 to help raise money for two respected Australian charities, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and The McGrath Foundation.

Local pilot Phil Hines and GP Jacques Scholtz decided to hold the fundraiser – which they have dubbed the Flying High Ball – as part of their preparations to compete in the famous Outback Air Race (OAR) in August.

The pair are currently preparing to take to the skies to compete in the 10-day race, which is held every three years to raise money for the RFDS.

Three years ago, the race raised approximately $500,000 with the efforts of  Mr Hines and his co-pilot Jane Crichton contributing $42,000. The pair came second in the race out of 26 competitors.

This year Mr Hines and Dr Scholtz aim to raise even more money for the RFDS, which is only 50 per cent government funded. The organisation relies on fundraisers – such as the Flying High Ball –  sponsorship and donations to help keep it operating.

The pair will take off on August 17 from Cootamundra airport in a two-seater Vans RV-7 sports plane for the race starting line in Brisbane.

They will then travel via towns including Bundaberg, Longreach, Katherine and Kununurra to finish in Broome on August 29.

The ball committee members were thrilled when the former international cricketer accepted their invitation to come to Cootamundra.

“I have been lucky enough to hear Glenn talk about his path to becoming one of our cricket greats and his work with The McGrath Foundation and he is a fantastic guest speaker,” Mr Hines said.

Half the proceeds from the ball will go the McGrath Foundation, which is well known to local residents as it places breast care nurses across the country and raises breast cancer awareness.

Mr Hines said the committee was hoping the people of Cootamundra would take advantage of this opportunity to hear Mr McGrath speak, enjoy the food of Michele Seymour Catering and dance to the music of an eight-piece band, The Enormous Horns.

Guests can organise a table of 10 friends or buy individual tickets at Jak and Jill clothing store and let the committee organise a table.