Ravensworth Rhino and Hunter Hawkettes crowned champions, whilst $80,000 raised for Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
It was sweet victory for Glencore’s Ravensworth Rhinos who were crowned men’s champions second year running and history was made with the Hunter Hawkettes running home to be crown women’s champions at the 2017 A-Plus Contracting Hunter Valley Mining Charity Rugby League Competition at Singleton earlier this month on October 7. Following some serious training sessions and a determination to retain their title from last year, the Rhinos convincingly defeated Bulga Coal’s Saxonvale Raiders 22-nil in the men’s decider. Whilst the Hunter Hawkettes were victorious over the Valley Vixens 19 to 10 in the inaugural women’s in mining series. Although, undeniably the biggest winner on the day was the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, with a record breaking $80,000. Organised by the Singleton Volunteer Support Group, 350 mining employees made up the 18 teams competing in the rugby league 10’s competition at Pirtek Park, cheered on by over 1800 spectators. Support Group volunteer and organiser Danny Eather said he is in awe of the community and business backing the competition. ‘This year’s event exceeded expectations in terms of spectators and the amount of money raised. We are just blown away by the result,’ Mr Eather said. ‘Our team of committed volunteers have worked hard to establish this event to be a much highly anticipated event on the local sporting calendar. We were thrilled to have teams from as far as Mudgee, Boggabri and the Gunnedah Basin join in this year’s charity competition.’ More than 70 local businesses backed teams to help their fundraising targets with major sponsorship secured from A-Plus Contracting, Mine Wealth & Wellbeing, Slater & Gordon, Jennings Print, Minetek Betts Bower Haulage and Hunter Isuzu Utes. Coal Services Mines Rescue, Group 21 Rugby League Referees Association, Singleton Rugby League Club and the Singleton Rotary and Lions clubs all provided in-kind support and assistance on the day. ‘The Upper Hunter community, and the mining sector, are well aware of vital work that the Rescue Helicopter provides to our region and are very supportive of fundraising event like this to ensure that the Service is available free-of-charge all year round.’ Mr Eather said. The Rescue Helicopter was established in 1975 as a weekend beach patrol and through community support and fundraising it became a critical service that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week from four bases in Belmont, Broadmeadow, Tamworth and Lismore. Now it delivers aeromedical search, rescue and inter-hospital transfers to care for communities from north of the Hawkesbury River, up to the Queensland border. Today, the service is approaching 1,500 missions per year, with a Doctor and Paramedic on board every flight. The Service is jointly funded by the NSW Government, corporate partnerships and community support ensuring nobody has to pay to be assisted by the service. One week until annual Charity Rugby League Day kicks off.
The countdown is well a truly on with just one week until the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service’s – Singleton Support Group hosts this year’s A-Plus Contracting Hunter Valley Mining Charity Rugby League Competition, with the event shaping up to be another great fundraising success. This past Sunday, representatives of the 18 competition teams including members of the “women in mining” teams gathered to launch the countdown to the charity knockout competition as well as deciding upon the all-important pools draw for the competition. The opening match of the day will see the Mount Thorley Warkworth Barbarians take on newcomers to the competition the Boggabri Bears. Other highly anticipated match ups during the include the reigning champions Ravensworth Rhinos against the Glendell Gladiators, Mudgee based Moolarben Misfits taking on the Mt Arthur Meerkats in their first ever game in the competition and the Hunter Hawkettes taking on the Valley Vixens as part of the ‘Women in Mining’ Series. Speaking at the draw for the event, Event Manager, Danny Eather, thanked the local miners in attendance for taking up the challenge and participating in this year event and expanding upon last year’s effort to benefit the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. “We are extremely grateful for the continued support our local miners. The willingness of our local miners to lace up their footy booty in the name of charity is incredible. Our miners are vital to the success of the event, without them there would be no event and for that we offer a sincere thank you” “Equally the contributions of our many event partners and sponsors has been critical to continued success of the event. Special mention has to be given to long term naming partner A-Plus Contracting along with Pirtek, Mine Wealth & Well-being, Slater & Gordon, Jennings Print, Minetek, Betts Bower Haulage and Hunter Isuzu Utes in supporting this year” added Mr Eather Gates at Pirtek Park, Singleton will open on October 7th at 8.00am with the first game kicking off at 8.50am. Both the Lions and Rotary Clubs of Singleton will be cooking up a storm to ensure nobody goes hungry throughout the day, along with Singleton Rugby League Club taking care of everyone’ refreshment needs. Entry to the event is $5 per adult and $2 per child with plenty of FREE children’s activities including jumping castles, slides and face painting. Representatives from each of the sixteen participating teams where on hand this afternoon at the Imperial Hotel, Singleton for the official competition pools draw of the A-Plus Contracting Hunter Valley Mining Charity Rugby League Knockout Competition.
We are also excited to have the additional of our 'Women in Mining Series' which will see the Hunter Hawkettes and Valley Vixens battle it out during a best of 3 series. Click here to view full draw THE FOOTY SEASON MAY BE ENDING BUT THE TRUE GRAND FINAL DAY IS STILL TO COME.
Serious training has begun for local coalminers preparing for the 2017 A-Plus Contracting Hunter Valley Mining Charity Rugby League Knockout Competition in support of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. Organised by the Singleton Volunteer Support Group, 350 local mining employees will make up the 18 teams who’ll represent their respective mines and compete in the day-long rugby league 10’s competition at Singleton’s Pirtek Park on October 7. This year, the local support group will welcome two new teams to the men’s competition from the Boggabri and Mudgee regions, with the Boggabri Bears and Moolarben Misfits. As well as the much-anticipated addition of a “Women of Mining Series” which will see 30 of the regions female miners hit it out in a best of three series. 2017 A-Plus Contracting Hunter Valley Mining Charity Rugby League Knockout Competition team line-up: 1. Austar Swamp Rats 2. Glendell Gladiators 3. Hunter Valley United Cobras 4. Maules Creek Maulers 5. MTW Barbarians 6. Mount Thorley Warkworth Razorbacks 7. Mt Arthur Meerkats A 8. Mt Arthur Meerkats B 9. Ravensworth Rhinos 10. Rix's Creek Rattlesnakes 11. Saxonvale Raiders 12. Wambo Wolves 13. Werris Creek Wild Cats 14. Mt Owen Mustangs 15. Boggabri Coal 16. Moolarben Misfits 17. Valley Vixens (Ladies) 18. Hunter Hawkettes (Ladies) Last year the charity day raised $60,000 for the Rescue Helicopter with more than 1,500 spectators, family and friends expected to turn out for this year’s event. Event Organiser, Danny Eather believes that this year’s competition is shaping up to be the best so far. “With the addition of teams from Boggabri, Gunnedah and Mudgee, it is a true reflection of the how widespread the positive impact that the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has on the Hunter, New England and Central West communities” said Mr. Eather. “With the addition of the new AW139 helicopter aircraft, our communities have access to a world-class service which they will never have to pay whilst fundraising efforts such as Charity Rugby League Day are in existence and supported by the community” he added. The local business community has once again rallied to show its support with A-Plus Contracting, Pirtek, Mine Wealth & Wellbeing, Slater & Gordon, Minetek, Jennings Print, Betts Bowers Haulage and Hunter Isuzu Utes all signing on as major event partners. More than 80 additional businesses have sponsored the individual teams to help teams with their fundraising targets. Coal Services Mines Rescue, Group 21 Rugby League Referees Association and Singleton’s Rotary and Lions clubs are once again providing in-kind support and assistance throughout the day. Each year the Rescue Helicopter undertakes more than 1500 missions including transporting people from accident scenes, transferring critically ill patients between hospitals and undertaking search and rescue operations throughout Northern NSW. It is with the continued efforts of the Singleton Volunteer Support Group which ensures that no one has ever paid to be assisted by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. |
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