Boys on track to raise thousands

The specialist rugby league and cricket boys at Rockingham Senior High School sweated it out on Friday, running laps for six hours to raise money for Telethon.

Up to 70 athletic students took part in the day organised by the school’s rugby league co-ordinator Isaac Thomas, as a lesson in helping others and to raise money to build a weights gym for the school.

Halfway through the day the boys were on track to raise more than $30,000.

Mr Thomas said the day was about the boys running, jogging and walking as many laps of the rugby oval as they could in an attempt to raise as much money as possible.

“The students go out and try and get pledges so hopefully all of them have 10 cents sponsorship for each lap, so that is the idea, they do as many laps as they can in six hours,” he said. “At the moment we are on target to raise over $35,000 so we should be able to give $18,000 to $20,000 to Telethon at the end of it.”

Taking part in the day himself, Mr Thomas said he was impressed with the students who had tallied up to 20km in the first half of the day.

“So far a lot of the students are between 17km and 20km mark, some kids are up around the 25km,” he said.

“It is incredible — most kids their age would not have done 10km in their life.

“So to run constantly or to keep moving for three hours already is remarkable.”

Mr Thomas said he had been planning to hold the fundraising event for many years.

“I think most people have been touched by Princess Margaret Hospital for Children at some point and it is more about wanting the guys to learn about service to others,” he said.