THE Park Ridge Pirates are pulling out the stops for a charity match, where the team will host the Kedron Lions at home on August 5.
An annual charity match is a regular on the club’s list of fixtures, according to Pirates president Andy Colenso.
“We normally have a charity each year that we try and raise funds for, to contribute as part of our place in the community,” he told the Times.
“We put it out to our playing group and anyone across the club who knows a worthwhile charity. Two of the players came forward with ideas.”
As a result, funds are being raised for the ongoing treatment and care of 7-year-old Millie Taylor Johnson and 1-year-old Archie Roberts, both of local families in need of support.
“When Archie was a couple of months old he was diagnosed with meningococcal disease,” Mr Colenso said.
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“His Dad is working away from home to support the family, because of the mounting medical bills and ongoing treatments. We were happy to get onboard with helping.”
Another Pirates player knew of a Jimboomba family – the Johnsons – who care for their daughter Millie.
“She’s got cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, and the family are doing it a bit tough,” Mr Colenso said.
“Millie’s getting a bit older and they need to upgrade the wheelchair and the access at their home isn’t that good. They need some money in order to build a pathway, so we’re putting together a bit of a game plan for that.
“We think we can not only raise funds, but we’re trying to get some tradies to put in the concrete path as well.”
Auctions and raffles
Both Archie and Millie’s names appear on a special jersey commissioned for the fundraiser by the Pirates which will be purchased by the players to wear on the day, and auctioned after the match.
“We’ve got various auctions and raffles throughout the day, stalls and food stalls with homemade cakes and treats,” Mr Colenso said.
“We’ll have our normal canteen and bar, and we’d love people to come along and support the day, watch a good game of footy, and put their hand in their pocket and buy a beer and something to eat, because all the proceeds are going back to the families.”
Mr Colenso said an auction item had been donated by Jeff Horn, WBO welterweight boxing champion, and other items had been donated by Lions players.
Finals approaching
Despite the match against the Lions being in the current competition, Mr Colenso said there’s a bit riding on it.
“Two games ago we were fighting to get a spot in the finals, and we lost both. Now we’re sort of out of finals contention, but a few of the bottom sides have won so there are five teams hovering that could still get relegated.
“Even though we’re a little bit clear of it, mathematically we can still get relegated, so it’s a must-win game for us.
“Our 16s are on top, our 14s are second, our 12s are 4th or 5th and our girls are third. It looks like all our youth teams will be playing finals this year,” he said.
The Park Ridge Pirates play the Kedron Lions on Saturday August 5 at Park Ridge State High School. The reserve game starts at 11.45am and the senior game kicks off at 2pm, with the charity auctions after the match at approximately 5pm.
For updates on the day’s activities go to the Pirates’ Facebook page at facebook.com/parkridgepiratesafc/. For anyone wanting to get involved in the fundraiser, or make donations, contact Andy Colenso on 0438 806 958.