SPORT The Cowboy Life – Footy
WHEN the Wellington Cowboys ended a 25 year premiership drought to claim the Group 11 crown in September, the excitement was palpable.
The win came just after the town on the banks of the Bell and Macquarie Rivers had clinched the Central West Rugby Union New Holland Cup and the town’s soccer team had seized a Dubbo title.
Everyone was buzzing because the wins were a reflection of a concerted community effort to restore pride in the town and its sporting history.
The Wellington Cowboys have worked incredibly hard over the past few years to develop a culture of inclusiveness. Families have returned as concerned townspeople, health and social workers along with local police have combined to tackle serious ongoing issues head on.
“Meet it, greet it and defeat it has been the philosophy of Wellington Aboriginal Community Health Service (WACHS) CEO Darren Ah See.
“We have earned a reputation for many of the worst reasons in recent years but we know we are a much better community than the tags we have had handed to us would suggest,” the former premiership winning representative centre said.
“No one wants to be called Siberia, the Ice Capital of the West but we put up our hands, acknowledged the fact that there were too many people influenced by drugs and alcohol acting out anti-social behaviours and it was up to us to do something positive to turn it around.”
When Darren called families together and invited police, health and other services together, all agreed sport was their most powerful tool.
“We want our kids to be healthy, we need them to care for their own families and our elders and to do that they need to be educated. Sport, especially rugby league which is the most attended activity in town each weekend, provide us with the perfect tool,” Darren summed up the situation.
“Through WACHS and other government departments and with the assistance of our local councillors, we embarked on a strategy of engagement.”