Stars Leave The City To Take On That Other Drought
Sun Herald
Sunday February 11, 2007
THE first day of school is always a momentous occasion, but it was extra special for the children at Hay Public School.
Not only did they get to greet their first teacher and classmates, they also met their footballing hero, Nathan Hindmarsh. One four-year-old was under the impression the guest appearance was an everyday occurrence and asked who would be popping in the following day. Hindmarsh was one of 120 NRL players and officials promoting rugby league in regional areas during the week as part of the NRL's community carnival. In all, the roadshow visited 60 destinations from Perth to New Zealand, travelled more than 27,000 kilometres by air and almost 7000 by car. It was a particularly welcome morale boost in the rural NSW and Queensland towns devastated by the effects of the drought. One Hillston Central School student was so keen to meet Hindmarsh he had his family cut short their holidays by a week. Hindmarsh, who became a star with the Eels after moving from the family farm at Robertson to Sydney, said the players enjoyed the tour of the Western Riverina as much as the fans."I know how important it is to spread the word of rugby league in the bush," he said. "I love getting out there whenever I get a chance."It's great to see the enthusiasm of the kids and the parents. It's something you never get sick of."Each NRL team has provided at least half-a-dozen representatives for the initiative, and the entire Sharks first-grade squad visited Cooma, Bombala, Bega, Eden and Merimbula in NSW.
© 2007 Sun Herald
