42 • NewsWeekly – Friday, September 10, 2010
NewsWeekly – Albury Wodonga’s locally owned free weekly newspaper
Sport
Award is recognition they really are good sports at Thurgoona
Bulldogs work to be seen as a family club
By TREVOR JACKSON THURGOONA football and netball club has been awarded for its hard work over the last few years by gaining the highest level in the Good Sports program. The club has reached the level three pinnacle of success through its education on alcohol consumption and behaviour through the club. The club has been involved with the Good Sports program since 2006 when it achieved the level one status. By late 2008 it achieved the level two status and has been going ahead in leaps and bounds since then. “We were given the award for the club of the year in the south-west region for 2008 and were runner up in the state club of the year,” club president, Tony Way said. The club has managed, in that time, to reduce its alcohol turnover from around 23 per cent five years ago to around 11 per cent now. Mr Way said despite the reduced alcohol turnover the dollar figure for the club hadn’t changed, just that everything else had picked up as a result. “It’s just a better family environment,” he said. “Now we’ve created a product where every member of the family is catered for. “We go from under 11 netball right up to adult sport and have 88 kids in Auskick. “It means the whole family can come in the same day at the same venue and play their sport, rather than have it spread over two days and different venues. “I think that’s what families want.” Mr Way said it was more than just the family environment the club was after. “Every club wants to be the family club,” he said. “We want more than that … we want to be the community club. “Whether you have families or you’re just married or middle aged or retirees … Thurgoona’s got that demographic … we want to have something for everybody.
“The committee has put a lot of work in and the people have responded by coming out to the footy.” The membership of the club has increased over the past few years from modest figures around the 100 mark to the current figure of close to 400. This has had a positive effect on revenue with their canteen takings up 300 per cent in that time and gate takings obviously on the rise as well. Mr Way said the education of players, spectators and members about the correct way to behave had a domino effect with people now receiving advice on correct behaviour, not just from committee members, but others at the games as well. “You can’t tell people they are doing the wrong thing if you haven’t told them what the right thing is,” he said. “Our code of conduct is all about saying ‘here’s the way we go about things’ … everyone knows about it and every member gets a copy of it when they join. “We’re serious about it … every club has rules but whether they are imposed or not is different altogether. “It’s very easy to have because it’s only a piece of paper, but it’s more than a piece of paper to us … it’s what we live by.” The club now plans to go one better than the 2008 award for regional winner and runner up in the state for the Good Sports program by taking out this year’s state award. “We won the award in 2008 because of the huge impact the program has had on our club,” he said. “It’s not all due to alcohol … there were a lot of things we needed to work on but it certainly helped with what we had to do. “It makes that much difference if parents can be confident. “They know there’s going to be alcohol around but if they are confident it is managed correctly and the right message is sent out they are a lot more comfortable. “I think parents are very comfortable at our club.”
GOOD SPORTS: Peter Lee from the Good Sports program with president of the Thurgoona club, Tony Way.
Timor trio pedal their way to help charity By TREVOR JACKSON THE generosity of Border residents has been highlighted this week by a fund-raising effort to help the people of East Timor which has raised a much needed $6500. The donations came about after three local residents, James Sloan, Leigh Privett and Pat Giddings entered a mountain bike race, the Tour de Timor, put on by the East Timor Government next week as a means of raising awareness of the country and attracting tourism. They were then told of a charitable organisation, Klibur Domin, (KD) where Wodonga physiotherapist Dave Taylor volunteers his time to help with the health and wellbeing of the Timorese people. Klibur Domin, translates from
Tetun to English as “Caring With Love” and was set up by the RyderCheshire Foundation, a charitable organisation based in Australia. Mr Taylor has given up two years of his time to help these people and needed equipment for the centre to improve the services. The equipment ranged from balance pads to laminated posters and blood pressure monitors, totalling around $400. Mr Sloan sent emails to people he knew on the Border and to those in the cycling fraternity seeking donations and was amazed by the response he received. “I was overwhelmed with the response,” he said. “The majority of the money was raised on the Border. “It’s been fantastic … it means
we have been able to buy more for the Timorese people and more equipment can be purchased at a later date.” Mr Sloan said some of the things purchased were as simple as a pair of thongs for a Timorese child to wear. “They don’t have footwear,” he said. “Even a pair of thongs makes a big difference to these people … it’s like gold to a Timorese child.” Items we all take for granted are not available to the people of East Timor and although they regularly fish for food they don’t have access to basic equipment such as reels and hooks, items that will be purchased to make their life a bit easier. Other items purchased includ-
ed frisbees and t-shirts with all remaining funds being utilised for the KD centre, none of the money being whittled away by administration costs. It is the second running of the Tour de Timor and the race takes in some amazing country with gruelling climbs, spectacular mountain views and smooth seaside rides. The race is run over a five day period starting next Monday and takes in 410 kilometres of the countryside. It sets off from Dili and and the first overnight stop is at the town of Balibo, a place well known to Australians. The site of the Balibo 5 massacre and what has become known as Australia House will be a focal point for the three Border riders.
The ride then continues on through the farm plains and valleys of Maliana and Ermera before taking in the mountainous region of Ainaro and Maubisse then returning to Dili. Mr Sloan said that while the scenery was very spectacular in East Timor the infrastructure was very poor. He said the government of the country was trying to utilise its attributes to boost tourism, something that could become a major industry for them and add to their standard of living, and the Tour de Timor was a great way to showcase what they have to offer. He said being able to assist KD through the generosity of those living on the Border was a great way to help a struggling neighbour.