Winnaleah turns back time
The annual Winnaleah Past Player and Supporter Day kicked goals on and off the field on Saturday, with more than $12,000 raised for a former player’s family and a celebration of what the former club meant for the town.
Organiser Mark Kerr had thought the event would be the last one he would organise but after seeing the impact the day has on those who attend, he’s had a change of heart.
“It is a big effort to put it on when you are busy on the farm all the time, so I had been thinking it was going to be the last one,” Kerr said.
“But when I got up to talk and I looked around the room, I changed my mind because the community hasn’t got anything to bring people together.
“We don’t have a pub anymore and we don’t have things here like the Scottsdale Show so there were people in the room I hadn’t seen for such a long time because we are all busy on the farm so it is a good day and worth keeping as long as people want to keep turning up.”
The day is the only day of the year footy is held at the ground.
Former players, some of whom were celebrating the 10-year reunion of the last ever NEFU grand final which Winnaleah won against Bridport, took to the field for the fun footy match with no major injuries reported.
Off the ground, the community came to the fore, with the first fundraising auction held as part of the day.
They raised nearly $12,000 for premiership player Christian “Tommy” Murfet, whose daughter Marlie lives with the very rare Congenital Bilateral Perisylvian Syndrome.
“It was the first time we have had an auction on the day and Max Hall donated his time to come up from Launceston to do the auctioneering and was very entertaining and the fundraising element might be something we look at to include each year for a different cause,” he said.
“A big thanks to everyone who donated and put their hands in their pockets to raise the money. The family had reached out for help because they are doing it tough and they got more than they thought they would, which is great to see.”
