We're pleased to announce the five finalists to win the 2019 Community Service Award, presented by RUPA partner, FCB Group, with the winner to be announced at the BDO Rugby Players Lunch next Wednesday, December 11.
Ned Hanigan (NSW Waratahs), Lachlan McCaffrey (Brumbies), Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), Dylan Pietsch (Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens) and Moses Sorovi (Queensland Reds) have been shortlisted for the Award, which is presented annually to the player who has made extraordinary service to the community through charity events, appearances and promotion of a community or not-for-profit cause or initiative.
Ned Hanigan
Ned Hanigan was nominated for this Award due to his continual commitment to community engagement and charity appearances
Originally from Coonamble, and joining Randwick Rugby Club, Ned frequently supports the Club game through informal visits to the Randwick training ground and at other Clubs throughout the state, as well as at his former High School, St. Joseph’s College Hunters Hill.
Ned’s charity appearances have seen him support numerous causes, including Batyr and the NSW Positive Rugby Foundation on the Get Talkin’ Tour throughout regional NSW, Giant Steps, Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation and Rural Aid.
Lachlan McCaffrey
Nominated for this Award in 2018, Lachlan McCaffrey has again given up a great deal of time in his role as co-founder of the charity Youth In Union, which aims to provide disadvantaged boys and girls in Pacific nations with opportunities to play sport, stay healthy and use their spare time in positive ways.
In addition to co-ordinating a large shipment of Rugby gear, equipment and clothing for distribution in Tonga, during the Brumbies bye week in 2019 he self-funded a trip to Tonga where he ran coaching clinics, met local players and young people at a youth centre and distributed a large amount of the much-needed gear.
Lachlan also works with The Fly Program, which raises awareness and conversations around mental health for males by conducting activities in the natural environment such as fly fishing, mountain bike riding and camping while acquiring valuable tools for mental health and wellbeing. Lachlan attends the camps when his Rugby schedule allows and leads some of the activities and mental health exercises.
Andy Muirhead
Also nominated for the second year in a row, Andy Muirhead has continued with his mentoring of disadvantaged young people in school settings, working with a local primary school to provide mentoring for a young indigenous boy and also mentoring a twelve-year-old Sudanese refugee at another school who has become the head of his family after the sudden death of his father. Andy has also mentored a 12-year-old Brumbies fan, and keen Rugby player, who has been struggling psychologically with constant operations and setbacks with his recovery following a major car accident.
Andy is also a Champion for the Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS) in Canberra. As part of this role he assists with the Young People Outreach Program and attends activities with young people affected by domestic violence. He will also assist with DVCS’ new Room4Change program, which works with men who use violence in their relationships, when the program is more established within DVCS.
Among his player visits in 2019, Andy has also visited both the Children’s Ward at Canberra Hospital and Bimberi Youth Justice Centre alongside his teammates, with these initiatives instigated and driven by Andy.
Dylan Pietsch
Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens forward Dylan Pietsch began volunteering at Ronald McDonald House in Randwick, earlier this year, and he has increased his commitment to that charity in the second half of 2019. Dylan heads into Ronald McDonald House two or three days a week, including weekends, and undertakes various integral tasks at the house including scrubbing floors, emptying bins, cleaning bathrooms and walking the dog
The families in Ronald McDonald House enjoy spending time with Dylan, and the work Dylan has done in helping ill children smile and find happiness within tough times has also seen him nominated as one of four athletes for the Australian Institute of Sport Athlete Community Engagement Award. In addition to volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, Dylan also spends time mentoring young indigenous players from the Dream Big Time Tour, as both a coach and a mentor.
Moses Sorovi
Queensland Reds scrumhalf Moses Sorovi has worked closely with Deadly Choices in 2019, an organisation which aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make healthy choices for themselves and their families – to stop smoking, to eat good food and exercise daily, and to complete an annual Health Check through their local Community Controlled Health Service.
Moses has also attended a number of Future Indigenous Leaders Camps during the 2019 season. Queensland Rugby and Rio Tinto have designed the Queensland Reds Future Indigenous Leaders Program to create meaningful career pathways and leadership opportunities for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students throughout the state. Moses has also taken part in Rookies to Reds and Reds to Regions activations, and a number of hospital visits.
Finalists for the Community Service award are put forward by the RUPA Player Development Managers, and the winner is decided by RUPA Chairman Bruce Hodgkinson AM SC, RUPA President Damien Fitzpatrick and RUPA Chief Executive Officer Justin Harrison.
The Community Service award was first presented in 2011. Its previous winners are Robbie Abel & Matt Sandell (2017), Eddie Aholelei (2012), Matt Hodgson (2016), Jed Holloway (2018), Pat Leafa (2013), Patrick McCutcheon & Henry Speight (2014), David Pocock (2011) and Paddy Ryan (2015).
The RUPA Academic Achievement award is one of eight major awards presented at the BDO Rugby Players Lunch. To view finalists in other categories, please click on the following links:
Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens Players’ Player of the Year
Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens Players’ Player of the Year
