Kyan Reymer, Isaac Buckman and Nathan Crooks show off the new Piopio jerseys they will be wearing this Saturday and then auctioning off. Photo Ben Draper
If their recent form on the rugby field is anything to go by, Piopio Rugby Club’s jersey auction on Saturday night should be a cracker.
For their sponsors day clash at Piopio Domain against the Taumarunui Eels, the Piopio senior men’s rugby team will be sporting a new strip, quite different to their usual green and gold.
The teal and purple jerseys, which will be auctioned post-match, feature a gumboot print and yellow ribbons on the shoulder – the colours and images representative of mental health and suicide awareness.
The jerseys and auction have been organised by Piopio club stalwart Ben Draper, who said the committee and players had embraced the new colours and the message behind them.
“We’ve had a couple of suicides in the town in the past and it can be very isolated for farmers in rural areas,” Draper said.
“I just thought, it was a good cause, and we don’t often get a chance to raise funds for those types of things.
“Mike King has been doing it tough trying to get money out of the government for Gumboot Up and it was just a good excuse to do something fun for the community and get some money together for a good cause.
“The committee were keen as straight away to do something, and Dynasty, the jersey makers, have done them at cost price for us. They have helped us out there which is great.”
Draper said most of the funds raised for go to Gumboots Up, then he would sit down with the committee and see what other organisations working in the rural health field could also benefit.
The jerseys will be auctioned off in the clubrooms following the after-match function.
Any that do not sell may be later auctioned online.
“We have left the sponsors on the jerseys so I am hoping they might want to buy their jersey … it should be a good day and is for a great cause.”
Draper said they were looking forward to the night and hoped their auction might prompt other teams to do something similar to support Gumboot Up.
“We’re keen to see how it goes. We probably won’t do it as an annual thing but if it does quite well, we might look at other ideas or make it a biennial thing.
“I might even flick all my paperwork to a different club, and they do something similar but it’s a different group of locals supporting it.
“If every club in the King Country had a go at it and raised for someone different then that would be great because they are all targeting different people within their clubs.”
Draper said there had been great buy-in from the Piopio lads with many of them excited to get the tops on.
“I took them out to training on Thursday and there was a bit of a buzz around them.
“The boys are getting right behind it and want to join in with the auction as well.
“Most of the boys are farmers too.”
He hopes the club will frame one of the jerseys for display and plans to bid for one on the club’s behalf.
The club have a shop through Dynasty and Draper said he might be able to set that up so people could buy one of the tops at a set price with all funds going to Gumboot Up.
