LOCAL volunteer Leanne Bird from the South Broken Hill Football Club has been recognised as a “Legend of the Tongs” – and is in the running to win $25,000 in products – in a national initiative run by Bunnings in partnership with the AFL.
Legend of the Tongs aims to reward and celebrate local volunteers who spend their weekends volunteering and firing up snags at the footy.
Ms Bird has been involved in the footy club since her son, now in his thirties, was just four years old.
She was also awarded the club’s Top Roo award in 2024 (reserved for the most valuable member), was a club manager for seven years, and runs the club’s popular debutante ball.
“I used to just go and watch and just do little things and my husband was always involved but the last 20 years I’ve been pretty involved,” she said.
“This is my fifteenth year I’ve been doing the kitchen.”
Ms Bird’s prize also includes a BBQ prize pack, including a Jumbuck six Burner BBQ and a Bunnings pop-up marquee, and she has the opportunity to win tickets to the AFL Grand Final and win $25,000 in Bunnings products for the club.
For the long-time volunteer the community she’s made from the club is the biggest draw for her ongoing commitment.
“A lot of my friends are from the footy club, it’s a good community,” she said.
Bunnings Mildura complex manager Steve Flory said the initiative celebrates unsung heroes.
“Whether it’s at their local club grounds or as part of our weekly sausage sizzles, unsung heroes like Leanne tirelessly show up week in and week out to support their players and raise much needed funds for their clubs,” he said.
Ms Bird, alongside her volunteering and role at the local post office, is drawing up big plans for the club which will hopefully come to fruition with the potential $25,000 prize.
“We’re trying to get grants for our footy club to do renovations,” she said. “We need an acoustic ceiling – it’s so loud down the back end of the bar, and there’s an old toilet that we need redone.”
