Rugby League - RL1908 comment

Play Your Part - Donate a Rugby League Book!

Remember how devoid the school library was of rugby league books? Well, it hasn't got any better!

Ever thought about how you could help propigate the game of rugby league in your local community?

Not all of us have the time or the inclination to assist the local junior club - and realistically those kids are already well on the road to being future NRL players and fans.

A recent chance event opened up my eyes to another way any of us can help contribute to the continuation of the Greatest Game of All - for a just a dollar or two! After purchasing the latest version of The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players I wondered what to do with the mid 1990s version I still had on the shelf.

I thought about giving it to a friend or picking up a dollar for it at the 2nd hand shop.

But giving away a rugby league book was not something I was accustomed to doing - heck it just didn't seem the right thing to do!

Rugby League book The many hours and days I've spent looking for rugby league books told me that some other productive life for the book needed to be found.

Remembering back to school days I recalled just how devoid of rugby league books the shelves were - and that thought told me what to do with my unwanted book.

I decided to give it away to the local primary school's library.

The book was still in reasonable condition so I phoned the librarian and asked if they had any rugby league books on the shelves and were they interested in a donation. I was informed the school had no rugby league books and would welcome the donation.

So I dropped the book off at the school and thought to myself that I had found it a useful home.

A few weeks later I was at a Church fete in another suburb (dragged there of course!) and saw a mint copy of Jack Pollard's book on State of Origin with a $1 price tag on it. I had no need for a 2nd copy of the book but, recalling that the school librarian had made it clear they had no League books on the shelves, I decided I could afford to make another donation.

I dropped off the Origin book at the school and the librarian was ecstatic! She told me that the boys at the school had been fighting each other to get their hands on the The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players since word of its arrival spread. The book was so popular it had been reserved for borrowing for months ahead.

Rugby League book I was astounded that so little effort on my part could lead to generating such interest in boys wanting to read a book - and all the better for it being a rugby league book!

The school didn't have any AFL or rugby union books either, just sports books that were general in nature and not too recent.

Since that time whenever I'm out anywhere and come across a rugby league book that is on offer for a few dollars, I buy it and donate it to a local school.

I'm not suggesting you drop all your weekend plans and become a zealot for the rugby league cause. And yes, perhaps the game's administrators could do more by ensuring every school has a copy of a book such as Helen Elward's "Ozzy League".

But if you happen to chance upon a bargain, or you've got rugby league books you no longer need, then keep in mind the local school library.

You might just be doing something that encourages the next Andrew Johns to take up rugby league - at a bargain price!