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Kinglake football club rises
from the ashes
Like a phoenix rising from the
ashes, the Kinglake footy club will
take to the paddock in 2009.
The town of Kinglake was
devastated by the horrific bushfires
that swept across the Australian
state of Victoria in February. Only
days after the fires, 200 community
members gathered on the oval
determined the club would not
become a Black Saturday casualty.
“This fire has really kicked us in
the guts,” Kinglake Football and
Netball Club president Cameron
Kaine said.
Vice-president Danny “Doggy”
Heal lost his home. So did one of
the players, Adam Butterworth.
As did committee member Dionne
Smith.
Most tragic, club supporter Ross
Buchanan lost two of his children.
Despite these heartbreaking
losses, the club -- officially
launched in 1925, but reportedly
started in the late 1800s -- will
compete in the 2009 season.
The Australian Football League
(AFL), country football and the
Yarra Valley Mountain District
Football League have pledged
help to provide an administrator
for the year knowing that
Kinglake residents will be too busy
rebuilding their houses and lives to
organise the footy club.
Melbourne Football Club donated
boots and balls and has promised
to provide skills training.
The green and gold Lakers
jumpers have survived and the
team is already back in full training
– three times a week to make up
for lost time.
This year, the Kinglake footy club
is playing for more than pride
-- it is playing for a whole
community.
Sportscover’s Sponorship Fund will go to
clubs affected by the Victorian Bushfires
Sports and leisure insurer Sportscover has announced that its
annual Sportscover Sponsorship Fund which is normally allocated
to amateur sports clubs based upon submissions from throughout
Australia, will this year be allocated to sports clubs who have been
affected by the Victorian bushfires in February this year. The Fund
will be used to distribute grants of $1,000 per club to replace
sports equipment that has been lost due to this disaster.
Sportscover Australia’s CEO Murray Anderson commented, “Whilst
some clubs around the country may be disappointed that they will
not be eligible to apply for the sponsorship grants this year, we
believe that this is an appropriate way in which Sportscover can
assist those clubs most affected by the Victorian bushfire tragedy”.
Affected clubs who wish to apply can do so through Sportscover’s
web-site:
www.sportscover.com/bushfires
Sportscover also offered immediate assistance to client businesses
that have been directly affected by the Australian bushfires.
Sportscover has set aside initial funds for distribution to affected
clients to ensure that they can start to rebuild operations as soon
as possible.
Sportscover’s Lloyd’s syndicate is the leading sports and leisure
insurer in Australia. Group Chairman, Mr Peter Nash said, “The
size of the human and economic tragedy is enormous and our
hearts go out to those affected. Although as an insurer we do not
appear to have suffered significant losses, we do have a number
of client businesses in the areas that may have been very badly
affected by the bushfires. They may need urgent assistance to
start the rebuilding process and we are here to help”.
Mr Nash continued, “The first thoughts on everybody’s mind is
to make sure that people are safe. However, for many of these
communities their local footy club or recreation centre is the focal
point and that is where we can help to try to get things back to
some kind of normality as soon as possible.”
A telephone hotline
1300 134 956
is available for policyholders
to notify possible claims.
touchline
SPONSORSHIP FUND