September 2017
The 5th annual Graeme Donnelly Cup Fundraiser was held on Sunday 24 September 2017 at the Collegians Club Sports oval. The cup honours the lives of Chief Inspector Graeme Donnelly, Sergeant Nick Skomarow, Sergeant Col Stevenson, Senior Constable Ray Schuberg, Detective Steve Tier, Sergeant Bernie Doyle and Senior Constable Pat Carney. These officers were dedicated to their communities and are missed everyday, but will never be forgotten.
Funds raised by the Cup are used to further fund the Police Benevolent Fund (PBF) and the BACKUP for Life program. The PBF operates to support police, retired police and their families who find themselves in necessitous circumstances. This year the Graeme Donnelly cup raised $5,000 for the PBF.
The BACKUP for Life program has played an important role in the lives of retired police officers, helping them transition from being serving police officers to being civilians. With a large number of retired police officers in attendance, the Cup was a great opportunity for us to reach more potential beneficiaries of the program.
The Graeme Donnelly Cup had proudly supported the local Police and Citizens Youth Club in Wollongong over the last 5 years. This year the cup raised $5,000 that will go towards training programs for the youths in areas of Barista courses.
This year’s Cup included five sporting events, starting with a game of footy between the Corrective Services Rugby league Cougars against the Illawarra Indigenous Titans, with the Titans taking the win. The second event was the Senior Sergeant Herb Clunas Memorial Schools challenge, where two local primary schools played a game of tag ending with a 2-all draw.
BACKUP for Life proudly sponsored the Senior Constable Ray Schuberg Memorial Touch Game. The game was played by the Lake Illawarra Lions and the Wollongong Police Falcons, with the Falcons reigning as champions. The day continued on the Col Stevenson Memorial Tug of War, sponsored by the Police Association of NSW. With the Lions outweighing the Falcons by 15kg it was no surprise when they were crowned victorious. The main event was between the Wollongong Falcons and the Lake Illawarra Lions, with the Lions seizing the cup.
The special day was a great success and provided an opportunity for the community to come together and honour the lives of our fallen officers.
