Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas speak to media at the launch
The Collingwood Football Club and Westpac have joined forces to pay tribute to the Country Fire Authority and its 60,000 staff and volunteers as they prepare for the coming fire season.
Each year Collingwood and Adelaide will compete for the ‘Westpac Community Cup’, which will support a nominated community organisation or cause. In 2010 Westpac and Collingwood are honouring the CFA.
Westpac State General Manager in Victoria Mark Paton said: “As an active supporter of the CFA in Victoria, the Westpac Community Cup is a great opportunity to increase both our fundraising efforts, and highlight the vital role CFA staff and volunteers undertake to save lives and protect communities in bushfire prone areas across Victoria.
“Westpac has further boosted the CFA’s firefighting efforts this year through their sponsorship of a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with new fire surveillance technology to patrol bushfire prone areas.”
Collingwood President Eddie McGuire said: “This is a wonderful initiative from Westpac and a great example of how football can make a significant contribution to a vital community organisation. Collingwood is proud to launch the Westpac Community Cup and we are privileged to be able to support the CFA and its many members who work tirelessly throughout the year to safeguard our homes and communities.”
The CFA is one of the largest volunteer based organisations in the world. The staff and members are trained, skilled and dedicated emergency services personnel.
CFA Chief Executive Officer Mick Bourke said “I would like to acknowledge the generosity and support of Westpac and Collingwood. The overwhelming majority of our members are volunteers who give their time because they want to help the community. These volunteers are trained to national professional standards and perform at the highest levels of incident management. Across Victoria the CFA assists the community in so many ways through education, preparation and emergency response activities and it is great to see our members honoured.”
Adelaide Crows CEO Steven Trigg said: “We totally support this Westpac initiative, and look forward to playing our part when next we host Collingwood. For now, the CFA do extraordinary things in extraordinary situations, and we’re delighted to be involved in a game where we can highlight that support”.
This week Collingwood players will wear the CFA logo on their guernseys and each guernsey will be signed and auctioned online via the Collingwood website to raise funds in support of the CFA.
Prior to the start of the match, the captain of the Kinglake Fire Brigade Craig Lawless will toss the coin and over 100 CFA members will be presented on the ground.
