Crusaders to give the shirts off their backs
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Up-and-coming young Crusaders first-five-eight (flyhalf) Tyler Blyendaal proudly displaying the special Crusaders jersey.
When the Crusaders take on the Reds at the new AMI Stadium in Addington this Sunday, players will be wearing a specially made jersey to support St John. The jerseys, which include the St John logo, will then be auctioned on Trade Me and the funds raised will go towards funding St John’s support of community rugby in the Crusaders franchise area.
St John has had a long history of providing first aid on the rugby field – over 120 years in fact. Nationally St John provides first aid cover at over 9,500 events a year, including over 1,400 rugby matches.
The first known instance of first aid being given by a St John person during a rugby match in New Zealand took place in Christchurch on 4 July 1885. It was in Sydenham during a match between that team and Addington. One of the Addington players fell and was knocked unconscious, and a bystander, William Bowden, treated the player for a broken collarbone, using what items were on hand (including his cap and a scarf) as a rudimentary sling.
“Generations of rugby players throughout New Zealand will have been treated by St John members on the sidelines. Many of our ambulance officers first learned their skills doing rugby duty on chilly Saturdays at their local footy fields,” St John Customers and Services ManagerChristine Princesaid.
“St John is a charity, and we need the ongoing support of the community to help us so we can continue to provide community based services and also pay for our ongoing operating costs. It’s great to be acknowledged by the Crusaders and we hope everyone gets right behind the Trade Me auction and bids for all of the jerseys,” Ms Prince said.
Crusaders CEO Hamish Riach said St John is one of the Crusaders’ gold charities and it is an organisation they are very proud to support.
“The work that St John does in our communities is invaluable and much of this work is done by volunteers. Community rugby relies on St John being there to provide medical assistance when it is needed, so this auction is one way of us showing our appreciation and providing some practical support,” Mr Riach said.
The St John jerseys to be worn by the Crusaders will be individually listed on Trade Me from this Friday morning and the auctions will run until the evening of Thursday 10 May.
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