They say out of all things bad comes some good – the Wingham Tigers Rugby League Club has proven that.
In the heat of the battle at Wingham Sporting Complex on May 15, young Wauchope reserve grader James Keating went down in a tackle and sustained serious damage to two vertebrae near the top of his spine.
From that point on, he spent six hours lying face down, nose-to-ground, undergoing a delicate airlift to John Hunter Hospital via the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (WRHS) which was called in after ambulance officers assessed James at the scene.
“It was a scary time but the people around me all did a great job,” James said recently.
“I truly thank the match officials and the referees, the trainers and medical staff at the ground, the staff at the hospital in Newcastle, and the crewmen from Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service who were outstanding,” he said.
James walked out of hospital, and apart from a few twinges in his neck and upper back, he is making a solid recovery and is even back at work on light duties.
Enter Wingham Tigers Rugby League Club chaplain, Mark Spencer.
As a vote of thanks for the service on the day of James’s accident, Mark got in touch through Wingham representative Jenni Boyle, and invited the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service to raise some funds at the June 12 home game as a vote of thanks.
“This was a great gesture by a very decent rugby league club and, to be honest, we were blown away by the support of the crowd and committee when we attended the home game against Camden Haven Eagles on the June long weekend,” the service’s community liaison officer, Gordon Wiegold said.
“It took us the entire duration of the first and reserve grade match just to get around the ground selling raffle tickets – even then we only made it three-quarters of the way around.
“One patron gave us a $50 note, asked for $5 worth of raffle tickets, and then said ‘keep the change’.”
On top of all this, the Wingham Rugby League Club secretary Wayne Goward then donated $200 on behalf of the committee.
“On the day, we made $350 from the Newcastle Knights jersey raffle, $170 for our Big Backyard Ride On Mower raffle, which totals $720 when you add in the football club’s generous donation,” Gordon said.
“It might sound a bit strange, but on days like this we are very grateful for the money – but sometimes it’s about much more than that and the community spirit.”
Also in attendance on the day were two Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service ambassadors: Nicole Thompson from Tuncurry who donated the Knights jersey being raffled, and Todd Green from Wingham who was present at the ground and bought raffle tickets.
If anyone is keen to help the service by making a donation from a charity event, asking a Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesperson along to a morning tea or staff meeting, or even Tagging A Calf for charity, they can call Jenni Boyle on 0411 261 752 (Wingham) or Gordon Wiegold (Mid North Coast) on 0429 818 627.
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