On the ball - Ashley Kobar and Helen Narayan

On the ball

When Ashley Kobar and Helen Narayan moved from Sydney to Temora, they had no idea football would become such a huge part of their lives.

The couple took two years to plan their move to Temora, attending a country living expo before finding a suitable house to purchase. “My grandparents moved to Ardlethan in the nineties, so I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” Ashley says. “A few years ago when the kids were born we decided to buy a house. We were travelling back through here and I asked Helen if she’d move to the country, and she said yes!” “Everything panned out nicely so it was an easy decision in the end.” While the family were in the process of moving, Helen attended an interview at Temora Hospital and secured a job working three days as a cluster support officer. “It worked out really well for me,” she says. Ashley initially worked in Wagga Wagga before landing a job with the Temora Shire Council. With housing and work sorted, Ashley and Helen began looking for something that would help them integrate into the local community. Enter rugby union. “This rugby club has been the best thing to happen to us,” Ashley says. “It’s not only introduced us to a lot of new friends, but it’s opened other doors too. I’ve picked up some weekend work from someone I met here - now I’ve got a freezer full of sheep after helping out a mate on his farm!” “I’ve never played rugby but they’ve helped me out, showed me the rules. At the beginning of the season I couldn’t catch a ball.” Both Helen and Ashley enjoy the slower pace of Temora and the down to earth nature of its people. “It was always rush, rush, go, go in Sydney,” Helen says. “It feels like there’s more time here, and everyone is so nice.”