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A week of kindness
SOPHIA GREWAL WITH A RESCUED PIGLET
(Damjan Janevski) 251260_01
SIG N U P N O W!
At Edgar’s Mission animal sanctuary, October 1 – 7 marks Be Kind to Animals Week. Every year the farm rescue encourages the community to do a good deed with a furry friend in mind. Now in its 11th year, Edgar’s Mission is hoping Be Kind to Animals Week will prompt people to make a difference. ■ Story: Page 11.
COVID bankruptcy blow By Oliver Lees The Sunbury Lions Football Netball Club finances have taken a beating during the pandemic with the club’s major sponsor forced into bankruptcy. The Sunbury Football Club Social Club went into liquidation after lockdown restrictions stifled any opportunity to gain revenue through its bistro, bar and gaming facilities. According to Lions secretary Allan O’Connor, the social club was established as a separate legal entity to provide financial
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support to the Lions and 25 other community organisations. On top of the loss in sponsorship money, the club also recorded a loss of $50,000 internally over the past season. Mr O’Connor said the impact of lockdown restrictions on the club were far-reaching. “Sports clubs and social clubs in general get by year-to-year with no war chest and they can survive when the going is good but when it isn’t, then the cracks appear. We received no sponsorship from the social club for the last two years,” Mr O’Connor said.
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“We lost quite a few players this season who just didn’t come back. In particular the young guys from the under-19 team who, once they had last year off, just couldn’t be bothered coming back. “Community clubs always struggle to get enough volunteers and this year our volunteers are all frustrated. In my 30 years playing and seven on the committee, I have never seen the volunteers put in so much work for so little return.” Earlier this month the Australian Sports Foundation released the findings of its
survey which sought feedback from 70,000 community sporting clubs on how the pandemic had affected their operations. According to the data, 9000 clubs around Australia faced risk of closure due to financial instability, while 43 per cent of surveyed respondents reported a reduction in participation among younger Australians. Mr O’Connor said the present uncertainty continues to impact the club’s ability to plan for the future. “We are confident the club will get through OK but overall it’s hard on everyone,” he said.
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