The Vodafone Warriors have today announced they’ve adopted the northern New South Wales town of Tenterfield, one of many communities suffering acutely after being ravaged by drought and bush fires.
Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George and Tenterfield Shire Council mayor Peter Petty have jointly confirmed a range of initiatives and events to lift spirits among people in the area.
The inland settlement, which has a population of a little more than 4000, is about 280km south-west of Brisbane.
“We feel deeply for the New South Wales communities that have suffered such extreme hardship lately,” said George.
“They’re really hurting, including in Tenterfield, where the community has demonstrated such resilience through ongoing drought and recent bush fire events.
“While there are a lot of relief efforts across New South Wales, we wanted to take it to another level by reaching out and adopting a town like Tenterfield. We see this as giving us a chance of forming a meaningful relationship and doing what we can to lift spirits of the people there. If we can help in some small way that will be tremendous.”
Mayor Petty said he was humbled by the way the Vodafone Warriors had extended the hand of friendship.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Tenterfield,” he said.
“We are all excited to partner and connect with such a high-profile team, who are genuinely keen to support and encourage our communities. This relationship will empower our local youth and sporting groups and provide the whole community with a much-needed boost.”
George and Petty said the relationship will feature a number of events in 2020 enabling the Vodafone Warriors to connect with and boost spirits among the people in Tenterfield.
Plans are afoot for the Vodafone Warriors to have a presence at the annual Tenterfield Show in early February while club representatives will also visit the town to support both the Tenterfield Tigers seniors and juniors next season. It’s expected the trip will include visits to schools in the area.
Also scheduled is an appearance by Vodafone Warriors representatives at a mayor’s business and sports dinner to raise funds for all sports in Tenterfield.
“Ultimately our goal is to inspire, engage with and encourage a wonderful community which has shown incredible resilience in the face of enormous adversity in recent years,” said George.
“Rugby league can be the greatest friend of all for people when times are tough. We just want to give folk in Tenterfield a little joy and would encourage other NRL clubs to do the same.”
George and Petty said a full programme will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
