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Rugby League legends join our #TackleBullying campaign and will go into school to help children

THESE are the legends of league who will be going into schools over the next six weeks telling children how to Tackle Bullying.

Joe Galuvao, Petero Civoniceva, Adam McDougall, Danny Buderus, Marion Fenech, David Peachy, Shaun Timmins, Ben Ross, Scott Prince, Hazem el Masri and Anthony Quinn.
Joe Galuvao, Petero Civoniceva, Adam McDougall, Danny Buderus, Marion Fenech, David Peachy, Shaun Timmins, Ben Ross, Scott Prince, Hazem el Masri and Anthony Quinn.

THESE are the legends of league who will be going into schools over the next six weeks telling children how to Tackle Bullying.

Every one of them has had personal experience of bullying that they will be sharing to help children understand and cope with bullying.

"Children listen when someone they look up to such as a famous rugby league player gives them messages and advice on bullying," child psychologist Dr Elizabeth Seeley-Wait said.

The league legends got together this week for training as part of the NRL and The Daily and Sunday Telegraph's Tackle Bullying campaign, which will see them and other players talk to 300,000 children.

David Peachey, former international and NSW fullback, said: "Bullying comes in many forms and for me it was because of my colour.

"Once you have been on the receiving end you can see why kids can get so depressed. Our message to kids is that you can stand up to bullying," he said.

The Tackle Bullying campaign has a five-point plan that tells children not to ­ignore bullying. Instead it says stand strong, stay calm, respond confidently, walk away and report it. And it tells children to not be a bystander but to stand up for a friend.

Former Bulldog Hazem El Masri arrived in Australia from Lebanon half way through Year 6 with little ­English and was much smaller than the children around him. He has drawn on that experience to talk to schoolchildren about bullying.

"I had been here two weeks when this really big kid kicked me," he said.

"We got into a scuffle and I got him in a headlock. The most important thing is to ­report it, which I did and the teacher told him if he did it again he would be expelled."

On the way home El Masri was confronted by the bully's much larger cousin.

The original bully stepped in and stopped the fight ­because he did not want to be expelled from school.

"Reporting it saved me from a beating," El Masri said.

Mario Fenech, former Rabbitohs captain, recalled: "There were not many Mario's around when I first went to school and I was bullied mercilessly.

"When I look back, the bullying pushed me in the right direction. I just tried harder. It hurt me but I learnt so many skills to be able to cope. If we can make it better, through the rugby community, and teach people that bullying is wrong then that is a very good thing."

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News_Image_File: The Tackle Bullying campaign has a five-point plan that tells children not to ­ignore bullying.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rugby-league-legends-join-our-tacklebullying-campaign-and-will-go-into-school-to-help-children/news-story/395d27b7f309b0342bd6c7acc54bc900