South Darwin rugby league legend Paul Kelly will forever be remembered for his generosity

SOUTH Darwin rugby league life member and beloved sponsor Paul Kelly passed away at the age of 74, but will forever be remembered by the club as one of their greatest ever supporters

South Darwin legendary supporter and life member Paul Kelly celebrating the 2003 premiership win.

SOUTH Darwin rugby league life member and beloved sponsor Paul Kelly passed away at the age of 74, but will forever be remembered by the club as one of their greatest ever supporters. Kelly passed away on May 20 after a long battle with cancer.

His life and generous support of all things rugby will be remembered in a wake today.

Kelly came to Darwin in 1978 as a construction worker and worked extensively on the construction in Jabiru in the 80s.

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He returned to Darwin in the early 90s started up a business and then became involved in South Darwin as a major sponsor, raffle raiser, beloved supporter and a constant asset around the club.

Business partner and close friend Wayne Finn remembered Kelly as someone that always generous with his club sponsorship and was beloved by the whole Darwin rugby league community.

“He was loved by not only the South Darwin rugby league community but the rugby league community as a whole,” Finn told the NT News.

“He was always there cheering for Souths and having plenty of banter with the patrons from other clubs.

“He was generous with his sponsorship and support, would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him and was well loved by all for the work he did around the grounds at Richardson Park.

“In his later years he retired and moved to Vietnam where he found his wife. He lit the candle at both ends of his life and enjoyed it to the full while he was here, he had no regrets.”

Kelly’s construction nous made him fast friends with John ‘Foxy’ Robinson and he also made friendships with Mick Palmer and Terry Dowling, former owner of the Parap Hotel.

And his company also paid dividends for South Darwin both in sponsorship and in recruiting with a lot of his employees playing for

Those recruitments culminated in a successful premiership lift for the club in 2003, the club’s second ever NRL NT premiership win and one Kelly celebrated as hard as anyone.

“PK had a big influence on recruiting players and staff to South Darwin and in that year it all sort of came together for us,” Finn said.

“It was only the second win in our history and he was a big influence there through his recruitment

“He will be remembered as out of the greatest supporters the club has ever had and his contribution will be honoured and remembered at South Darwin rugby league club forever.”

South Darwin Rugby League Club will be dedicating their Round 5 home game from 6.15pm to Kelly and invite all members past and present to attend.