A function planned by the Narromine Jets rugby league club will come at a lower cost to the club and attendees thanks to a grant secured by Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders.
The Group 11 club had originally planned to host a reunion on the June long weekend, however the COVID-19 pandemic forced organisers to abandon that idea.
The committee is now focusing on hosting a major event prior to the 2021 Group 11 season, and will do so with $2500 of NSW Government assistance.
“Narromine is a community that has battled through drought for so long, and the organisers were hoping to put on an event that would bring people together but not be too much of a financial burden,” Mr Saunders said.
“Then COVID-19 came along and put another strain on the community. It also ended the Jets’ season because the Group 11 competition didn’t proceed, so it became even more important that something could be done to bring the club together and keep spirits high.”
Narromine Jets publicity officer Sally Everett said the funding will give the club some certainty when it comes to organising the function.
“We’re really grateful for Dugald’s support because, like a lot of small communities, sport brings people together in Narromine and the Jets are a big part of the town,” she said.
“Given everything our community has been through, we want to be able to put on a great event but also be able to keep the ticket prices down so as many people as possible can attend. “We are still looking to finalise a date and some special guests, but that will take some time as we need to plan around the COVID restrictions.”