THE summer bushfires were tough on everyone on the South Coast, including members of the Milton-Ulladulla Panthers.
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That's why this Saturday, March 7, they will be hosting a Bushfire Charity Day against the Forest Rangers at Lighthouse Oval.
"At the start of the year, we were brainstorming ways to raise funds as we have a few club members that were heavily impacted by the bushfires and many were affected in some way," Milton-Ulladulla FC director Caylie Wise said.
"Not long after this meeting, I was contacted by former club member Jamie Izard, who is now with the Forest Rangers Football Club.
"He suggested he could bring some teams down to not only play a trial against our club but to bring multiple teams with the idea of spending in our area.
"From there, I suggested having a raffle for the day to allow us to raise some money with the intention of helping the families who have lost their homes and to donate to our local RFS brigades.
"A lot of the credit needs to go to Jamie for his work getting this going from his end - organising multiple teams to make their way down here would not have been easy."
The day will involve eight matches, including sides from the under eights, under nines, under 10s, under 13s and under 15s, as well as men, women and over 35s.
"It's going to be a big day at out home ground, which thankfully wasn't damaged by the fires," Wise said.
"What affected our club most was the amount of members that were impacted.
"This ranged from losing everything they own to being stuck in isolated villages that surrounds the Milton-Ulladulla area, being without power, water and reception for extensive periods of time, having family members that were away fighting the fires for months.
"I myself almost lost my home and so making sure we did something in some way to help was a priority as so many weren't as lucky."
There will also be a barbecue and number of raffles - including signed Sydney FC and Canberra United jerseys - on the day, which will all be drawn at the night's function at the Ulladulla Ex-Servicemens Club.
"It is important [do host a day like this] as we are a close-nit community here in Milton-Ulladulla," Wise said.
"We are all linked somehow - whether it be our kids go to school together, we go to the same gym, we play social sports together or against each other, we have loyal customers, the list goes on.
"When tragedy strikes, we unite and do everything we can to support each other.
"Being one of the biggest sporting clubs in our area we knew we could help make a difference.
"We are aiming to rally around those affected by the fires by giving them a subsidy to pay for registration and to help get new gear - the more we raise the more we can do for these families."