Far West Kids Supported to Attend Lifechanging PCYC Event

Since hearing those words, the General Manager of the Broken Hill Musicians Club made a commitment to himself to do exactly that.

As a kid who grew up in a single-parent housing commission house in Shalvey, in Sydney’s west, and Broken Hill, Michael says he witnessed daily instances of domestic and family violence. 

“Coming from a broken home myself, I have witnessed things most children do not witness in their lives,” he says.

“Remembering all the strong leaders and mentors who saw something in me when I couldn’t has led me to pay it forward and give the next generation the opportunities and mentoring that I received.”

So, when Michael was introduced to the PCYC Broken Hill and saw first-hand the difference that its manager Linden Cox was making in the community, he felt an obligation to help.

“The support for the PCYC Broken Hill began over a hot dog at Silverton during the Beers for Broken Hill event that was put on by Mounties to support the community following a severe weather event and power outage in October 2024,” says Michael.

“ClubsNSW CEO Rebecca Riant had arranged a tour of the local PCYC and invited Mounties CEO Dale Hunt and me along — the tour left us all speechless with the work that Linden and his team were doing with disadvantaged youth in the Far West.”­

From there, Michael was determined to help support kids from the Far West to participate in the PCYC Nations of Origin event in Sydney.

The event is a community-driven four-day sporting tournament that unites First Nations and non-First Nations young people to celebrate culture through sports, with strong endorsement and support from Elders.

The program focuses on reconciliation, education, cultural identity and sport, with participants having to maintain at least 80 per cent school attendance, ensuring a commitment to education, while fostering personal growth and a deeper connection to their cultural heritage.

The Broken Hill Musicians Club provided a $30,000 commitment towards the accommodation costs for kids in the Far West to attend — $20,000 of which sat outside of ClubGRANTS funding.

“I was lucky enough to be in attendance, and I was talking with a few young rugby players from Blacktown, and I pointed towards the Housing Commission houses at the back of Whalan Reserve and said that I used to live over there,” says Michael.

“With a disbelieving smile, they asked where, and I replied in a Housing Commission house in Shalvey. The questions followed, and I said to them if you put your mind to it, study to the best of your ability and be the best version of you that you can, the world is at your feet, and you can achieve anything.

“I got the feeling they like talking to someone in a leadership position who came from where they are and understands them.”

The commitment to support the PCYC extends beyond the Nations of Origin, with the Broken Hill Musicians Club and the Broken Hill Demo Club collectively committing $60,000 in ClubGRANTS funding to PCYC’s Fit for Life Program.

ClubsNSW also recently announced at the Clubs & Community Awards that it had brought PCYC on as a Community Partner, ensuring a deeper connection between registered clubs and local PCYC clubs.