REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, April 23, 1997

A FURORE erupted after the Commonwealth Bank withdrew its lucrative sponsorship of a national schoolboy rugby league competition because of a vicious brawl.

Twenty students were suspended as a result of their involvement in a wild free-for-all during a match in Brisbane.

The bank’s withdrawal of the annual $100,000 support and naming rights angered top league officials and sent shock waves through clubs and secondary schools.

The bank acted to end its 17year sponsorship after fighting between students of Camp Hill High and Clairvaux MacKillop College featured on national television news bulletins and in newspaper headlines.

“Somebody in the community has to stand up and say that is not acceptable,” said head of the Commonwealth Bank’s group corporate relations Lyndell Fraser.

Commonwealth Bank general manager (personal banking) Alf Long said the bank did not condone violent behaviour and found the incident “totally unacceptable”.

“This matter is particularly disturbing as the community is witnessing increasing violence,” Mr Long said.

“Our employees and customers are increasingly being subjected to acts of aggression through branch hold-ups.”

This statement drew a furious reaction from former Australia Test player and Gold Coast Chargers club captain Martin Bella.

Bella demanded an apology from Mr Long for his implication that “because they play football they’re all future bank robbers”.

“It’s defamatory, it’s an absolute insult, it’s ill-thought out, unintelligent and highly offensive to every footballer,” Bella said.