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Ever since Westside returned to Group 11 it has been a motto which the board, coaches, players and fans have said over and over again.
That sentiment will be on full display at No. 1 Oval on Sunday when the club hosts its first Dubbo Westside RLFC NAIDOC Day Community Carnival.
The day will be a celebration of indigenous culture within the club and wider community but it is also much more than that, with various service providers and organisations to be set up around the ground offering information.
The day will begin with the league tag clash and it promises to be one of the highlights with Westside taking on Macquarie in the inaugural Mia and Mason Anderson Cup match.
Mia Anderson is one of the most loved members of the Rabbitohs club and the 27-year-old has not her intellectual disability limit her on and off the football field.
Her brother, Mason, also has an intellectual disability and is one of Macquarie’s most passionate fans and has rarely missed a game in the past decade.
Their efforts and commitment have been recognised with the formation of this cup fixture, much to the delight of everyone involved in both clubs.
“Mia has changed everyone;s views on disability since she’s been involved with us in the past two years,” Max Hill, Westside member and Community Canrival organiser through his work with Building Kinnections, said.
“To have her at our club and to see how she carries on and has a laugh and a joke, she’s very important to our club and we’d be lost without here.”
Chad Parkes, another Westside member and organiser of this weekend, said it’s not only Anderson who has had an impact at the club, with a number of people with disabilities attending training and getting involved.
Both said inclusion is valued at Westside more than the points each week and this weekend will also promote the efforts of those involved in the club and community, regardless of their abilities, needs and skin colour.
Parkes added it was poignant to celebrate this weekend alongside Macquarie, a club he feels has similar values and one which has always given Mia the chance to score a try and stay heavily involved.
The feeling of togetherness will not only be on show through the league tag match.
“It’s about the community come together,” Hill said of the day’s events.
“We all live in Dubbo together and we’ve got to work together and one way of breaking down barriers is to have the services here and show Westside can do more than play rugby league.”
As well as the services on offer there will be for the kids to do with fun relays between games, a kick for cash and also face painting.
The day’s action starts with the league tag at 10am.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
