Town of Braidwood the winner in Bushfire Rugby Sevens event
After eight weeks of being surrounded by bushfires, the town of Braidwood, near Canberra, needed a win — and with the help of the local rugby club, 44 teams from around the state took part in the rugby Bushfire Sevens.
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The tiny country town of Braidwood had a double reason to celebrate yesterday after the heavens opened and hundreds of people poured in to help get it back on its feet.
After eight weeks of being surrounded by bushfires, the town near Canberra thought it had taken another blow when the lack of rain meant its annual Braidwood Cup racing day had to be cancelled because the track was too dry and hard for the horses.
But the Braidwood Redbacks rugby club stepped in to help the Jockey Club to try and save the day by organising a huge day of rugby sevens.
“Braidwood, like a lot of towns in the south coast region, has suffered through major road closures and as a result holiday traffic has been non-existent,” Redbacks manager Nick Pengelly said.
“This has resulted in a large impact on local businesses that rely on this summer influx of people to remain viable.”
The rugby community rushed to respond, with 44 teams from around the state, from Sydney to Canberra and the south coast, signing up for the Bushfire Sevens.
“It took a massive community effort,” Mr Pengelly said.
Farmers and townsfolk carted water in from dams and rivers nearby to get the playing fields up to scratch, with the town on Level 4 restrictions.
“Ironically, the rain has continued steadily over the weekend. This has not deterred any of the visiting teams and Braidwood has experienced a doubling of its population of 1500,” he said.
“Braidwood has been totally overwhelmed by the generosity of the NSW and ACT rugby communities, the Brumbies, Rugby Australia and other towns that have also been impacted by horrendous bushfire activity.”
And it didn’t matter who won on the field — as the town was the biggest winner.
Originally published as Town of Braidwood the winner in Bushfire Rugby Sevens event
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