Rugby League legend Paul Harragon is on his way to the Tweed to lend a helping hand to the Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club.
Harragon and a team of skilled tradesmen will be at the Kingscliff-based surf club on Friday and Saturday, February 25 and 26 to do some much-needed work to the club’s rescue equipment storage area.
The visit is part of the Tooheys New Crew – million beers worth of favours – an initiative aimed at helping to repair and renovate community facilities throughout New South Wales.
Harragon said the group had already refurbished a therapy centre in Parkes in central western NSW and a sporting facility in Shortland in Newcastle.
“We head up to Maitland in the Hunter and then to Cudgen on February 25,” he said.
“The Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club is a great example of the kind of favours the Tooheys New Crew is doing to create a lasting impact on Aussie communities.
“We’re thrilled we’ll have the renovations completed by the time people pour in to take part in the up-coming Surf Life Saving Championships.”
Cudgen Headland SLSC spokesman David Field said the club was looking forward to the upgrade work.
“In recent times we’ve had to direct a lot of energy towards dealing with our erosion problems. This favour from the Tooheys New Crew will help to significantly improve the club and allow us to better cater for the community and the championships in March.”
Cudgen was chosen for the upgrade after putting in a submission late last year.
Harragon said he was looking forward to helping out at the club. He said, as a member of the Swansea-Belmont surf club, he knew just how much a club like Cudgen did for the community and was happy to be helping them out.
So, has the promotion changed him?
“I think I’ve learned a lot from the skilled tradesmen,” he laughed.
“I’ll be a real home handyman by the end of it.”
All jokes aside, the former footballer (known for his soft heart) admitted that the projects so far and the local reaction had been “quite touching” and he said just because the crew were coming to the area for this project didn’t mean they couldn’t come back. He urged other people with worthwhile projects to put them into the running to receive the work.
As well as the professionals, Harragon said locals would be needed to come along and volunteer and get involved in the project. He said a thank you function would be held at the end of the project on Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 5pm.
Tooheys brand director Jon Bradshaw said the promotion was inspired by the group’s current ‘beer economy’ promotion.
“We all know how the beer economy works, a mate does you a favour and you say thanks with beer,” Bradshaw.
“So the Crew is all about doing favours for our mates and we’re measuring every favour we do by its equivalent price in beer.
“We’re continuing the initiative in NSW where Tooheys New is the State’s most loved beer and are aiming to complete a million beers worth of favours for local communities over the next year or so.”
If you have a local sporting facility or community centre or recreational area needing a spruce up, contact tooheysnew.com.au or facebook.com/TooheysNew.
