Rugby Union clubs Newcastle Pasifika and Hunter Wildfires played a charity rugby match on Saturday 19 to raise funds for the victims of the recent tsunami in Tonga.
The match took place at St John’s Oval in Charlestown and raised a total of $29,000 for Sione’s Foundation, a charity organisation that plans to send two 40-foot containers of supplies to Tonga on March 31.
A staggering $20,000 of the funds raised were donated by Wildfire’s sponsor Jeff McCloy of the McCloy group.
“With the most recent events that had unfortunately occurred in Tonga, it was only right to do what we could do to help those in need and by creating an event to stand alongside Sione’s Foundation and show our support to a great cause,” Newcastle Pasifika club member Abel Vili said.
“Saturday’s event was everything that we wished for and more.
“It initially went from a few ideas to get the local pacific island boys together to a Charity Fundraiser for Tonga with the recent unfortunate events.”
Despite staunch community support, the Newcastle Pasifika team was overpowered 28- 17 in the main match of the day.
In a celebration of Pacific nations culture, players choreographed and executed an emotional haka before kick-off, with video of the performance reaching Pasifika teams in Adelaide and Perth.
“Words cannot express the feeling as a collective … Newcastle Pasifika represented our people in this community. It was something so special, and it will be remembered forever,” a Newcastle Pasifika Facebook post read.
“We are proud and grateful for your efforts and, more importantly to our boys, representing our culture, families, and traditions is something to be super proud of.”
The rugby club also issued thanks to all players, attendees and sponsors on the day, including Somerset Meats, Walkabout Barber, BME, MB Apparel, Scarborough Wines and Dee DjStunt Tapaleao, as well as confectionary company Tropical Sno from Belmont.
“The support from the local community was tremendous … we even had some of our players’ families travelling from Sydney for the day in support of the cause and Newcastle Pasifika Rugby as a whole,” Vili said.
Local children kick-started the day with a game of tag before the women’s team competed in a game of touch football.
The third event saw Hunter Wildfire’s U20’s colts team play West Harbour Pirates in a trial match before the Wildfires and Pasifika men’s grade teams came head to head in a thrilling last event of the day.
“We hope to build on this, and as it shows, with an event like this, so many people from all walks of life, backgrounds and cultures came together as one to enjoy the game, the island food and more importantly, supporting those in need in Tonga,” Vili said.
Sione’s Foundation founder and rugby league star Sione Finefeuiaki also expressed his gratitude for the day.
“I can’t thank Newcastle Pasifika enough for reaching out to us to be involved with the game; it’s been amazing,” Finefeuiaki said.
“It’s been a tough three years for everyone, and it’s good to have an event and see the smiles on everyone’s faces.”
Finefeuiaki appealed for the Hunter community to consider donating water and non-perishable goods to Tonga, as the country still recovered from the tsunami impacts.
The foundation recently upscaled aid to the small island nation after a four-foot tsunami wave was reported to have hit Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, and nearby islands, on January 15, affecting eighty-four per cent of the population of Tonga.
In the aftermath of the tsunami, it was revealed that thousands of Tongans were displaced from their homes, two Tongan nationals had perished, and many others had been injured.
A World Bank assessment estimated approximately $200 million in damages across the nation, the equivalent of 18.5 per cent of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Wildfires General Manager Stewart Pinkerton praised Newcastle Pasifika’s desire to raise awareness and funds for Tonga and predicted 2,000 to 3,000 people to have attended the charity event.
He said that while the Hunter representative team competed typically in the Sydney competition, players loved the opportunity to join a good cause and fit a local match into their calendar.
Pinkerton welcomed the idea of a permanent charity match fixture, citing the success of the Saturday 19 match and the Wildfire’s own Pacific Islander community that play for the club.
Maia O’Connor