Knights visit a win for Muswellbrook

Pictured: Visiting Thornton Public student Gaige Houlton tests his skills on the Coal & Allied energy bike with his grandmother Mary Dever and sister Shai Dever watching on.

Pictured: Knights player James McManus holds a boa constrictor provided by Coal & Allied Community Partner Conservation Volunteers Australia.

The Upper Hunter got a kick out of the Newcastle Knights visit to Muswellbrook this week for a Community Alliance Blitz event with sponsor Coal & Allied.

A strong crowd of people, including around 200 children, came along to Olympic Park to meet the players and participate in a range of Community Alliance activities including seeing a live reptile display containing snakes and alligators, painting Aboriginal murals, making seed critters, and creating mini catapults in a science and engineering challenge.

Children also got to learn about energy efficiency on the Coal & Allied energy bike and by participating in a coal guessing game.

The community was also involved in a host of football activities including watching the Knights train, photos and autographs with the players, and the chance to win some great competitions.

The morning kicked off with an Indigenous 'Welcome to Country' by Aberdeen Aboriginal artist Joe Irving.

Mayor of Muswellbrook Councillor Martin Rush was presented with an indigenous mural painting in recognition of the town's strong support for the team and its importance as a key mining community for Coal & Allied.

"It has been a great day for our whole community but in particular it's wonderful to see so many young people come along to meet their favourite players and learn some new skills," Cr Rush said.

"Opportunities like this help develop the football talent in the region and bring families together, which is great for the sport and for our community.

"On behalf of the Muswellbrook Shire Council, thank you to the Newcastle Knights and Coal & Allied for bringing this event to our town."

Eleven year old Thornton Public student Gaige Houlton attended the event with his sister Shai and grandmother Mary Dever and learnt about energy efficiency after taking a ride on the Coal & Allied energy bike.

"The bike exercise was hard but really fun. By riding the bike, I was able to power six lights - three energy efficient and three incandescent light bulbs - and learnt that this amount of energy was enough to light up three rooms for about a minute," Gaige said.

"Overall, I had a great time at the event. I really enjoyed the training. It was difficult but it was good experience playing with the Knights," Gaige said.

Gaige's grandmother Mary Dever said it was a great event for parents and guardians to take their children along during the school holidays.

"Gaige is staying with me on his school break and when I heard about the blitz I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to get outdoors and learn some new skills," Mrs Dever said.

"I think it was very exciting for all the children to chat with the players and receive encouragement and footy tips from them."

Newcastle Knights chief executive Steve Burraston said the club was delighted to see that passion for the game and the team was alive and well in the region.

"While we make an effort to please the fans on match days, it's definitely these trips to the local communities where we interact and engage with them that really make a difference," Mr Burraston said.

"Our players were on hand to assist the Australian Rugby League Development's immensely popular Kids to Kangaroos Clinic, and help teach some new skills to the young children.

"Alongside Coal & Allied, our role is to help bring positive outcomes to communities in the Hunter Valley.

"We look forward to achieving this by continuing to support educational programmes in schools; mentoring Indigenous students; and hosting a range of community events, junior football clinics, and health and wellness programmes."

Coal & Allied External Relations Manager Fiona Nicholls said the Muswellbrook Blitz was a win for everyone in the community.

"We have a long history and affiliation with the people living in the Hunter Valley and its important to us that we continue building and evolving our relationship with them," Ms Nicholls said.

"Our Community Alliance with the Knights is one of the ways that we achieve this and contribute to the sustainability of the communities where we operate mines.

"I'd like to thank our Coal & Allied Community Partners - Conservation Volunteers Australia, the University of Newcastle, and Aboriginal artist Joe Irving - for their involvement on the day.

"The Muswellbrook Blitz was a great opportunity to increase community engagement and interaction, develop local skills, and provide some active fun for everyone in the region.

"We look forward to our next blitz in Singleton later this year."

Media contacts:

Coal & Allied - Alison Smith (07) 3361 4223 / 0438 787 038
Newcastle Knights - Frank Barrett 0439 535 055.

Media release - Knights visit a win for Muswellbrook [PDF: 98 KB]