The rugby clubs of the flood-ravaged North Queensland region will be the focus of a fundraising effort run by Rugby Australia, the Queensland Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Foundation.
Several clubs in Townsville and surrounding regions suffered property damage in the large floods in late January and early February.
A fundrising initiative “Rugby Aid Townsville” has been launched in response.
The ARF has announced a $10,000 up-front donation, and the QRU will run a collection at their Super Rugby clash with the Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Rugby Australia will also hold a collection at the same venue during the Wallabies clash with Argentina on July 27.
The Classic Wallabies will also run junior clinics in Townsville as part of a tour of Central and Northern Queensland in July.
“The people of Townsville have endured significant heartache and are facing a long road to recovery following the events of the past couple of months, including a number of our Rugby clubs in the region that have had damage to Club facilities ahead of the season,” Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle said in a statement.
“It is in the toughest of times that the true spirit of the Rugby community comes to the fore, and we know that people in our communities will dig deep to support our clubs in the Townsville area.
“We thank the Australian Rugby Foundation for getting the ball rolling with a $10,000 donation and together with the QRU and our Rugby partners we will conduct fundraising activity throughout the year to help these clubs through this challenging period.”
Peter Cavallo, President of the Townsville and District Rugby Union, said in a statement: “The Rugby community of Townsville and surrounding regions would like to extend their thanks to the Australian Rugby Foundation and the Rugby community as a whole.
The past couple of weeks have been extremely difficult for many in our region and its pleasing to know that the Rugby community of Australia is there to support their own when times are tough. We are really looking forward to the Classic Wallabies visiting our region in July.”
Rugby fans wishing to make an immediate donation to Rugby Aid Townsville can use follow this link: http://click.e.rugby.com.au/?qs=6c8ea731d668f7fd02a2027368e203b07533cf56c5d41e5ca12c1919c293f07c00fc3a931d4aa710f0795a75933afac0099b2876cf3a6047
