Generous offer puts netball team back on track

Members of the Year 8 Wairarapa representative netball team (from left) Charlize Carson-Butler, 12, Millie Day, 12, Kowhai Hohaia, 12, Jorgia Julian, 12, and Ocean Bartlett, 12. PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK

A young Wairarapa netball team robbed of nearly all the money they had raised for their playing season will soon have it back, thanks to a generous donation.

On Saturday, $750 was stolen from the Colombo Rd netball courts, where the Year 8 Wairarapa rep netball team were holding a sausage sizzle to fundraise for their new hoodies and upcoming tournaments.

The entire day's takings from the sausage sizzle was stolen, as well as half the profits from a previous fundraising event which had been used as the float on the day.

Since learning of the mean theft, Masterton business Festival Hire has stepped forward saying it will reimburse the 12-year-old girls of their stolen funds.

Jan Hinton, of Festival Hire, said upon seeing yesterday's Times-Age article she felt compelled to give the young team a leg-up by gifting them $750.

Team manager Rosslyn Bartlett said she was blown away by the "awesome" gesture.

"They're going to be absolutely stoked -- not just the girls but their families to. Everyone will be over the moon."

Thanks to the donation, the girls could again concentrate solely on their netball playing, Mrs Bartlett said.

She said since the weekend individuals and Wairarapa businesses had come forward to help the team.

Premier Beehive in Carterton donated 10kg of bacon, Joe's Meat Market gave sausages and Breadcraft gave bread so the girls could do another fundraising sausage sizzle.

"With this new news [of the Festival Hire donation], it's going to take us over and above what we have lost."

Mrs Bartlett said there was the possibility that any further funds raised by or donated to the team could be put towards Netball Wairarapa for the Colombo Rd netball courts' upgrade.