RugbyWA and Wesley College Join Forces to Help Underprivileged South African Players

RugbyWA
Thursday 27 July 2006

Following their successful tour of South Africa in April, Wesley College will continue to support the underprivileged rugby players they met thanks to donations from RugbyWA.

During the tour Wesley played matches against Excelsior College in Cape Town and an Under 17 development side from Pietermaritzburg, as well as running a skills clinic for primary age players, and donated rugby gear during these sessions.

To continue this initiative, RugbyWA has donated a significant amount of balls, water bottles, training jerseys and assorted apparel that will travel to South Africa with Jim Yeates, whose son Ben is a member of the First XV at Wesley.

RugbyWA was recently exposed to underprivileged conditions in South Africa during the Western Force Gold tour. Force Gold held a skills clinic in the township of Soweto, which was a tremendously rewarding experience for both parties, and also played in Pietermaritzburg during their tour in June.

"We at Wesley are very proud of our students as they have demonstrated their commitment to community service and what it means to be truly a part of the Wesley College community", David Gee, Headmaster of Wesley College, said.

"The generosity of the Emirates Western Force and RugbyWA in contributing to these underprivileged schools also shows the overwhelming support of the Rugby community."

RugbyWA Chief Executive Peter O’Meara said the donation was simply a part of helping out those in the rugby community with greater needs.

"Wesley College has made a fantastic gesture, and we wanted to help out as much as we could," O'Meara said.

"I have heard plenty of positive feedback about both the Wesley tour and the session that Western Force Gold ran in Soweto, so I know that the donation will mean something to those who receive it."

Wesley College Rugby Coaching Coordinator, Leon Felton, felt that the goodwill garnered during the tour was important to maintain.

"The eight and nine year old kids who came down to the skills clinic the day before we played in Pietermaritzburg came to the game the next day and cheered for us, shouting Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi like we were the home side," Felton said.

"You could see that it meant a lot to the kids that we had helped out, and that in turn opened a few eyes and minds within our squad."

All transportation costs will be covered by Wesley Rugby Union Friends and Supporters (WRUFS). Bundu Bashers, the tour group which took the College through South Africa in April, will arrange to have the gear taken to the Excelsior School and the Kwa Zulu Natal Development Academy. A regular traveler to South Africa, Yeates will take the equipment to the Republic within the next month.