The wind was cool and gusty, but it hardly dampened the spirits of a contingent made up of management, board and staff assisting Sutherland Council lifeguards with a beach clean-up on Wednesday morning.
As a part of Sharks Have Heart round, which will culminate with the NRL squad wearing dedicated charity jerseys when they tackle the Bulldogs on Saturday night, the Sharks lent a helping hand to clean some of the driftwood and debris washed up by the recent king tides and wild weather.
The beaches of Cronulla took a battering, with council efforts now in full swing to return them to their former glory ahead of the summer beach season.
Led by Jessica Macartney, her Sharks Have Heart team and HR Coordinator Courtney Lewis, the volunteers included CEO Dino Mezzatesta, Board of Directors David Blackett and Dave Nicholson and more than a dozen staff from the membership, finance, marketing and media, commercial and wellbeing departments. The motivation of those who volunteered on the day was to give back to a local community which gives so much to the Cronulla club.
The beach clean-up was one of several initiatives arranged to take place during this week’s Sharks Have Heart community round.
On Tuesday the Sharks were able to announce Nicho Hynes as the club’s nominee for the NRL’s prestigious Ken Stephen Medal for his dedication to community causes, an adult Mega Jaws clinic took place on Wednesday afternoon, while the Sharks website has featured Heartfelt Moments aiming to raise the spirits of some young fans going through challenging situations.
On game day, more Sharks Have Heart celebrations are planned to coincide with the unveiling of the unique charity jersey, with match worn jerseys to be auctioned to funds raised going directly to help the Sharks to continue to grow their programs and engage with the community.
