DUNGOG Rumble organisers and sponsors met with representatives of local junior sporting clubs at the Bank Hotel on Sunday afternoon.

From funds raised during the annual Rumble charity event held in October, a giant cheque for $24,000 was presented to local sports clubs.

The Rumble is an annual show and shine event for cars, motorcycles and trucks.
It attracts many locals and visitors to display and view the vehicles.

The $24,000 will be split between eight junior sports clubs from Dungog, Clarence Town, Paterson and Vacy.

Receiving funds are Dungog Pony Club, Dungog Junior Cricket, Dungog Soccer Club (“The Boomerangs”), Dungog Junior Rugby League (“The Warriors”), Vacy P & C, Clarence Town Football Club (“The Kookaburras”), Paterson River Junior Netball and Dungog and District Junior Netball.

Most of the clubs had to deal with 2024’s inclement weather damaging grounds and preventing play.

The Kookaburras will rebuild their field, buy a linemarker and upgrade other equipment.

Player numbers have doubled in the last two years at the club.

Dungog Junior Cricket Club will build a shed to store training equipment.

They also plan to construct seating and provisions for shade.

Dungog Soccer club will buy new equipment such as soccer balls, apply for grants to upgrade the grounds, and keep registration fees at the same rate as the previous years, despite association fees rising.

Their grounds have also been hit hard by bad weather.

Vacy P&C will buy kits for their junior athletes.

Anna, Treasurer of the Clarence Town Kookaburras, said, “Community support means the world to all these volunteer-run groups, and supporting each other is the most important thing.”

The Rumble committee says it will keep supporting Dungog Shire community groups such as junior sports clubs.

Looking forward the committee wants to entice more visitors to town for the Rumble, to benefit local businesses and the regional economy.

They are adding more attractions to the Rumble each year, and are already talking about how to top their admirable efforts in 2025.

By Lisa WISEMAN