Police and soldiers face off to tackle a good cause
IT’S a charity match by name only.
Two groups of Townsville’s finest are set to bruise and batter each other for a good cause.
The Australian Army’s Townsville- based 3rd Brigade and the Townsville Police Northern Stingers rugby league teams will battle it out at Jack Manski Oval today in a curtain- raiser to the Blackhawks’ Queensland Cup clash with the Ipswich Jets.
The game is a major fundraiser for local youngster Islah Hill and her family.
Islah, 4, was diagnosed with the rare Tay- Sachs disease, an inherited disorder that attacks the central nervous system.
There is no cure for it and the average life expectancy of the disease is five years old.
Islah was diagnosed as a 15month- old, one of only two children in Australia with the disease.
Match organiser and Townsville Tactical Crime Squad and ex- 3rd Brigade soldier Senior Constable Alex Fisher said the game was hardfought, but social connections were made off the field.
He said he’d been drawn to starting the fundraiser after hearing about Islah’s situation from a colleague.
With kids of similar ages Sen- Const Fisher said Islah’s plight “struck a chord” with him. So far the charity match has raised almost $ 30,000 for Islah’s family.
“Guys from both teams look forward to it,” Sen- Const Fisher said. “It’s a charity game by name. On the field it’s pretty tough going. There’s nothing left out there, that’s for sure.”
The 3rd Brigade outfit holds a three- nil record over the police team, but Sen- Const Fisher said they were fielding their best side yet this weekend.
“It’s ( the charity game) been really well embraced,” he said.
The game kicks off at 1.30pm today and a charity auction will be held after the main Queensland Cup game.