Club raising sense of community
FUN and friendship were the order of the day at yesterday’s Garbutt Magpies Cup.
More than 200 students from 12 North Queensland primary schools took part in the round- robin AFL carnival, which is now in its fourth year. Open to all Year 5 and 6 students from all cultural backgrounds, the annual carnival uses sport as a vehicle to promote messages of resilience, strength and connectedness to children on the cusp of adolescence.
“From the 1950s through until 1989, the Garbutt Magpies Sporting Club was an important part of the Garbutt community,” Garbutt Magpies Cup chairman Leon Stubbs said.
“It was more than just a sporting club, it was a second family to the local kids that played AFL, rugby league, basketball, vigoro, cricket and softball.
“The coaches and other adults were genuine mentors and role models to these kids, but unfortunately, this sense of community connectedness doesn’t exist as much today.
“Over the previous competitions, the Garbutt Magpies Cup has proved itself to be a wonderful way for elders to reconnect with local kids and teach important life lessons, all while enjoying a good old game of footy.”
The competition was established by the former Garbutt Magpies Club at the request of the AFL who wanted to engage more with Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in Queensland.
Yesterday’s UBET dividends