There were some special guests amongst the tens of thousands of fans who enjoyed the Queensland derby rivalry between the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos last weekend.
Families from The Golden Octopus Foundation were the lucky recipients of the Field of Dreams tickets, chosen by the program’s supporting partner, Triple M Townsville.
Field of Dreams is a long-standing program of the Cowboys, providing people who would not ordinarily see a Cowboys game live in action the opportunity to attend. For the program’s supporting partners, this program allows them to give back to the people of North Queensland.
It is so lovely to put smiles on the faces of some of the toughest adults and children you could ever meet. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Cathy, Golden Octopus Foundation
Triple M Townsville General Manager, Shane Jurgens said that they chose The Golden Octopus Foundation because it was a local organisation founded to help regional families with kids battling childhood cancer and to fund the implementation of childhood cancer nurses in the region.
"Triple M Townsville have been friends of The Golden Octopus Foundation for a number of years and are in awe of the work they do," Mr Jurgens said.
"The Golden Octopus Foundation knows cancer doesn't discriminate and neither do they - they provide support and assistance to families affected by all eight of the different types of childhood cancers and aim to ensure they can get the treatment they need closer to home," Mr Jurgens said.
"Giving these game tickets doesn't reduce the struggle that the families face fighting childhood cancer, but it does give them that rare night off to just enjoy themselves and that's what it is really about for us," Mr Jurgens added.
Cowboys Chief Government and Community Relations Officer Fiona Pelling said that Field of Dreams provided 400 people the chance to experience the game day atmosphere each year and that the Club liked to go the extra mile to make it memorable for attendees.
“The charity organisations really appreciate the experience of attending the game but we like to make it even more special by having Club ambassadors greet them as they arrive to the stadium,” Ms Pelling said.
“We are proud to partner with Triple M Townsville, Townsville City Council, Evolution Mining and Cowboys Leagues Club to help even more people experience the fun and excitement of a night at the football through Field of Dreams,” Ms Pelling said.
