A rousing speech from newly elected committee member Patrick Skene capped off a Heritage Rugby League annual general meeting (AGM) that was brimming with big ideas.
Skene, an author and a cultural engagement specialist, became one of three new faces added to the Heritage Rugby League (HRL) steering group.
Award-winning Indigenous grassroots rugby league advocate Perry Johnstone (pictured below) was also elected to the committee, alongside long-serving New South Wales Tongan representative Kim Ilolahia.
The evening concluded with a speech “20 years in the making”, according to Skene, who in 2020 published the biography of Māori and Samoan pioneer Olsen Filipaina.
Skene spoke passionately about what first attracted him to rugby league, the way his allegiances were formed, and his vision for a more engaging, financially stable, and diverse future for rugby league.
A multiculturalism consultant for more than 15 years, Skene has worked with more than 100 communities on various projects, and was involved in the delivery of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
Skene, Johnstone and Ilolahia join existing members Javed Hamidi, David Axisa, Reynaldo Nery, Maherau Arona, Gareth Holmes and Robert Burgin on the HRL committee for Season 2023.
The committee bade farewell and thank you to Helen Wright, Steve Birchall and Michael Carbone as the outgoing members who did not seek re-election in 2023.
HRL’s purpose is to create attractive and relevant opportunities for players, staff, volunteers and spectators from all cultures to further represent and celebrate their various origins.
HRL has a multi-layered commitment to its place in the rugby league landscape, from objectives as basic as enticing new players to the sport of rugby league, to achieving greater levels of respect within the broader Australian community, and positively supporting International Rugby League.
President Javed Hamidi, previously an employee of the National Rugby League (NRL) responsible for research and special projects, spoke at the AGM about conceptual models for improved advance planning of matches.
A more consistent, transparent calendar would assist in multiple ways, such as attracting sponsors, ensuring availability of players and venues, greater co-operation with local league administrators and referees, and capturing the imagination of the public.
