Amanda jets in from Fiji to fly the flag for Whitehaven
Last updated 11:42, Friday, 07 November 2008
Fiji is half a world away from the Recreation Ground, but the South Pacific paradise has helped mould one of Haven’s key off-field staff.
Amanda Hewer was appointed the club’s new development manager in the summer, aged just 20, a month after returning from a five-week trip to the islands.
She had no time for slumbering on golden beaches or sipping cocktails during her stint in Fiji, as part of a sports development degree at Chester University.
Her days involved coaching fun-filled, appreciative kids in rugby union, netball and hockey, and it was an experience she will always treasure.
“It was amazing – life changing,” she said. “You saw how little these people had. It makes you appreciate things more.
“I was in a village in the mountains for a week. The people knew of little else, with little contact from outside the village and had not a lot of clean water.
“Some were in rags and they lived off the land. They were the most chilled-out people I’ve ever met.”
Youngsters bundled clothes to use as rugby balls and were bemused when presented with a real one.
Amanda, from Distington, tried without success to catch fish, a staple of the Fijian diet, and watched in amazement as three-year-olds fired spears from catapults to snare supper.
On her return to England she opted to leave her degree course, which still had a year to run, and took the full-time Haven job, breathing new life in to the club’s off-field effort, alongside young player Marc Bainbridge, a familiar face, who is always popular with youngsters.
Amanda, a four-year veteran with Copeland Wildcats, has visited 24 Copeland schools so far in six-week blocks, teaching core skills and organising league festivals. She is to run half-time matches for the youngsters during Haven games next season, which always go down with the juniors, and their parents, in addition to supporters.
“I want a better public perception of Whitehaven RL,” she explained. “It’s important that the club is seen in a good light.
“There wasn’t anything happening for a while this year, as there was no one there to do it. But these kids could be playing for us in another 10 years. If we set them off properly, they could be our team of the future.”
