Rugby players from the northern beaches help people hit hard in the NSW bushfire emergency

Rugby players from the northern beaches turned relief volunteers for a weekend to help people hit hard in the NSW bushfire emergency.

Players from the Newport Breakers rugby club — (LEFT TO RIGHT) Kenny Vuata, Tynan Linton, Sebastian James, Ian Crutch, James Vanisi and Tenny James — work in 42 degree heat, as volunteers for Blaze Aid, to remove and replace kilometres of damaged farm fencing destroyed by a bushfire on a property near Braidwood. Picture: Supplied

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A group of football players, and a few of their mates, from the northern beaches didn’t have a lot of money to donate to relief efforts centred on the recent NSW bushfire emergency.

But the boys from the Newport Breakers Rugby Club had something just as valuable to give — their labour, their skills and their enthusiasm to help those in need.

Players from the Newport Breakers rugby club volunteering for Blaze Aid and helping replace fences on a property affected by bushfires near Braidwood. Picture: Supplied

Recently elected club president Jake Osborne, put up an idea to the players about volunteering with Blaze Aid, an organisation working with people in rural Australia affected by natural disasters such as fires and floods.

The 27 players, and a couple of Jake’s workmates from Salesforce — Jesse Gong and Kyle Abourizk — travelled to the area around Braidwood to help to rebuild fences and other structures that were damaged or destroyed in the massive Currowan bushfire that swept through the area in November and December.

Players from the Newport Breakers helped build new enclosures for orphaned native animals at a wildlife sanctuary near Braidwood. Picture: Supplied

Jake said the group spilt into two working teams for the weekend working bee.

The players with “tradie” backgrounds and skills such as carpentry and landscaping went to work to help rebuild a wildlife sanctuary that takes in orphaned native animals.

Jake said much of its enclosures and fencing were destroyed in the fire.

“The other guys went to a cattle property outside Braidwood to take down 3.4kms of damaged fences and install more 1km of new fencing.

“They were working on a record hot day. The temperature got to 42 degrees.

“It was an emotional and confronting time. The property started out with 500 cattle before the fires. He only has 12 left after the fire passed through his property seven or eight times.

A large fire swept across rural properties around the town of Braidwood late last year. Picture Gary Ramage

“I was pretty proud to see they guys working in the fields down there.”

Jake said while he put the idea for working Blaze Aid forward, but players took ownership of the project.

“They were ones who drove it,” he said. “We’re hoping to do it again.”