Matt Hughes Charity Shield match in Dalby raises more than $80,000

The long lasting legacy of a beloved Dalby husband, sportsman and friend has resulted in a mammoth fundraising effort by two rival footy codes.

HUGE FUNDRAISER: The lasting legacy of Dalby man Matt Hughes has resulted in a mammoth fundraising effort by two rival footy codes. Picture: Facebook

The long lasting legacy of Dalby husband, sportsman and mate Matt Hughes has resulted in a mammoth fundraising effort by two rival footy codes.

The Dalby Diehards Rugby League Football Club and Dalby and District Rugby Union Club banded together on March 13 to raise money for at the Matt Hughes Charity Shield.

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Diehards A Grade manager Tony Carmichael said Matt was a local larrikin who played A grade both codes, and whose personality lit up the room.

“Everyone just gravitated towards his kindness, as he was an overall great bloke, and it showed on the night, where he had mates ranging from business people to those from out west,” Mr Carmichael said.

“He had a vast range of friends, such a big network, because he was a great bloke.”

Dalby's Matt Hughes, who passed away from cancer in 2019. Picture: Contributed

Matt tragically lost his fight with cancer and passed away in 2019 at the age of 39, devastating the wider community.

Mr Carmichael said a group of his mates joined together following his death, and endeavoured to create something in honour of their best mate.

“It was decided we’d play a game of rugby league between the two codes, taking into consideration he’d played in both teams at one time or another,” he said.

“This was the second year, and we decided to bring some more sponsors on board and ring around the local community, and their response was amazing.”

Last year’s efforts raised $50,000, but this year’s event eclipsed it, with the fundraiser amassing $82,500 of donations.

Councillor Megan James, Michael Webber, Tom Kelly, Janine Hughes, and Bart Turner. Picture: Contributed

More than 1200 people attended the hard fought contest between the two teams, with a cheque presented to the Matt Hughes Foundation by members from the Dalby Diehards and Dalby Wheatmen.

The committee is made up of Michael Kelly, Michael Webber, Tom Kelly, Andrew Johnston, Janene Hughes, and Belinda Fagan, who will announce their first donation organisation in the next few weeks.

Mr Carmichael said the foundation wanted to keep the money in Dalby, with it being spent over the next 12 months.

“We really just wanted to thank the sponsors and the community that made this possible, even after the hard year we’ve had due to lockdowns and restrictions,” he said.

“It awesome that we raised as much as we did, with 100 per cent of it going back into the local community.”

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Originally published as Matt Hughes Charity Shield match in Dalby raises more than $80,000