Essendon great Kevin Sheedy brought his renowned wit and entertaining stories to a packed Balldale Hotel to help raise funds for regional charity Country Hope.
Kevin Sheedy guided the Essendon Football Club to four VFL/AFL premierships in his 27 years as head coach from 1981 to 2007, built on a philosophy of helping others.
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On Saturday, October 17, he brought that philosophy with him to the Balldale Hotel where he joined forces with Country Hope CEO Jo Esler and Adventure Crew’s Deanna and Stu Balins to raise money to help regional families facing childhood illness.
Country Hope was formed in 2003 to support families of children diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Ms Esler said it was established out of Camp Quality when a group of passionate people recognised that while camp experiences were valuable, regional families faced additional challenges, particularly around access to medical care.
Today, Country Hope supports 154 families across a large part of regional New South Wales and Victoria, representing more than 620 active clients.
“We talk about clients rather than patients because when a child is diagnosed, it’s never just one person affected,” Ms Esler said.
“When a child is diagnosed, there is no time to prepare.
“They may be transferred straight from a regional hospital and flown to Melbourne or Sydney; one parent goes immediately, the other is left making impossible decisions and often there are few answers and little certainty.
“Our purpose at Country Hope is to provide holistic care and practical relief when it matters most, ensuring no regional family has to face that journey alone.”
Sheedy, the special guest at the fundraiser, reached into his pockets and pulled out anecdotes and memories from his life to entertain the crowd and deliver a message about the hilarity of life in the football world, the gravitational effect of trying something different, and the power of helping.
“That’s our role as coaches sometimes, to help others and figure out a way to make people happy,” he said.
“It’s more important than anything else.
“I had a teacher at school much like Nurse Ratched from One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest; she told me I should always help those less fortunate.
“I told her I come from an Irish Catholic family with seven kids in a two-bedroom house, ‘So, you’re saying I should help myself?’”
As the son of a nurse, Sheedy was born into a helpful ideology, naturally wanting to do what he could to help those who needed it most; that’s just what made sense to him.
One of the most important times of his career was helping to open the door for Aboriginal players to thrive in the AFL.
He said prior to Michael Long playing for Essendon, only 25 Aboriginals had played in the VFL/AFL in the previous 100 years.
“400 Aboriginals have been drafted since Michael Long, so I feel we opened that door up and that's been a huge success,” Sheedy said.
“You've got to open the door somewhere and open your thinking.”
Sheedy said when Long left Victoria to go back to Darwin because ‘it was cold’, it took three doonas and a sauna to get him back; he said it was the little things that people should be doing to help others.
This was the message he brought with him to the Balldale Hotel on Saturday night.
Country Hope CEO Jo Esler (R) with fundraiser organisers Deanna and Stu Balins and their Adventure Crew rally car.
Deanna and Stu Balins, who hosted the fundraiser, have raised more than $30,000 for Country Hope since they started fundraising three years ago.
Each year, their team, known as Adventure Crew, participates in the Riverina Outback Rally to share the story and raise vital funds for the regional charity.
Deanna said to get Kevin Sheedy to come out and share his inspirational words was a huge boost for their event ahead of their third rally in March next year, which runs from Goolgowi to Moama in NSW.
“Country Hope is very close to our hearts,” Deanna said.
“Our granddaughter was diagnosed with leukemia at four-and-a-half months old.
“Country Hope was just starting out back then and funding was limited at the time, so now we do what we can to help raise awareness and funds; next year’s rally will be our third.
Anyone wanting to donate or find out more about Country Hope and the Riverina Outback Rally can go to Deanna and Stu’s Adventure Crew Facebook page.
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