Former Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles and NSW State of Origin representative Josh Perry says he is looking forward to supporting regional NSW on the Hogs for the Homeless tour next week.
Along with other retired rugby league greats including Matt Cooper, Brad Fittler, Steve Menzies and Nathan Hindmarsh, Perry will be in town for the event next Tuesday. This will be the fourth year the tour has been run, which supports Father Chris Riley’s campaign ‘Youth Off The Streets’, and raises funds to help homeless people in regional areas get their lives back on track.
This year’s tour will see the former rugby league players visit towns in between Byron Bay and Forbes. While in Forbes the players will visit local schools, as well as run a coaching clinic for the public at Spooner Oval. Perry said he and the other players were greatly looking forward to hitting the highways, in which they will do so on Harley Davidson motorbikes, and travelling to Forbes. “We’re always looking forward to the Hogs for the Homeless. It’s a good way to raise youth awareness and get kids off the streets,” he said.
“It’s great to be able to do clinics for kids that don’t normally see NRL stars, or former NRL stars as well.” “At about 11am in Forbes we’re going out to the livestock exchange and auction the sheep. We’ll do that a few times and raise some money for Youth off the Streets.” Perry recognised Forbes as a mostly dry area where periods of drought are not unusual, and said from past experiences it was always rewarding being able to go out to regional areas.
“People out there do it tough at times. It puts smiles on peoples faces, and it’s a good will thing and we all really enjoy it,” he said. The public clinic at Spooner Oval starts at 4.30pm.