FLEUR Vardanega lives, breathes and eats rugby league.
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Most days she can be found doing something in aid of her club Orange CYMS, like counting money as treasurer, setting up for games, selling raffle tickets, looking after money floats on game day and doing any odd job that needs doing.
It’s been that way for many years, ever since Mrs Vandanega’s son Kyle began playing football in CYMS junior leagues, then known as SJS.
She was a secretary of the junior club for five years before her son was old enough to play in CYMS senior teams in 2003, where she barely skipped a beat and soon immersed herself in the club’s behind the scenes work.
“In 2004, one of my friends was going on the committee and she said ‘come with me, there’s not many women on the committee, I’m going to be treasurer and you can be my helper’. I didn’t hold a position that year, but I became secretary the next year and was secretary for four years. Then I became treasurer and I have been ever since,” Mrs Vardanega said.
She remembers those early years as a time when CYMS was not such a successful club, when it was wading through debt and would struggle to get players on the field each week, but she said the fledgling committee soon found their feet and as valuable players and coaches began to join the club, the fortunes of CYMS began to turn around.
“We’re just an ordinary chook raffle club, but we were just lucky, we got the right people in the right positions who are good at what they do,” Mrs Vardanega said.
She loves the club, and said from the players to the coaches, old boys’ club, women’s league tag team and the tireless committee and volunteers, it was never hard to find someone who would lend a hand to help out.
“I just love the place. I have no plans to stop. My husband sometimes rolls his eyes, but I’m not going to stop.”
CYMS play Lithgow Workmen's Club in the Group 10 Premier League grand final on Sunday at Wade Park.
