Referee’s kind act of goodwill goes viral on TRL site
Photo: Simone Stanton
RUGBY LEAGUE: A simple act of goodwill has sparked an outpouring of emotion on social media among the Toowoomba Rugby League community.
While performing ballboy duties for the Oakey Bears second division side, five-year-old Jett Stanton encountered a problem when his shoelace became untied.
That was until referee Ian McGill offered a helping hand to the young boy.
The moment was snapped by his mother Simone, with the image capturing imaginations on the TRL Facebook page.
The encapsulating photo has currently received more than 350 likes and over 20 shares, and Simone said it was heart warming to witness the act of simple goodwill.
“It’s something that you don’t see every day. It was good to see the referee taking time out to help a little boy,” she said.
“It’s good to see the little ones get appreciated. They help the big boys and it’s nice for them to take the time to notice them.”
McGill was notified by his daughter of the photo making headway on Facebook, and didn’t expect the gesture to go viral.
“It was during a goal kick and the young ballboy brought the tee out,” McGill said.
“I noticed it was undone. He was down there and I saw him struggling, so I bent down and did it.
“Later on in the first half the other one came loose so I did that one for him as well.
“It’s one of those small gestures you do. You’d hope other referees would do the same if they saw an incident to stop and help the young fellas.
“Ballboys do a job and we can help where we can. We all start somewhere and need help when growing up.”