Richard Pierce
Lake Cathie local, Richard Pierce, has spent half a century dedicated to rugby league. After moving to the area in 2005, he helped build the Junior Raiders and is now leading the charge to bring back the Senior Lake Cathie Raiders. We chatted with Richard about his move to the coast, his passion for footy, and the community spirit driving the club's revival.
Q: Richard, you are a Lake Cathie local, with a love for all things rugby league. When did you decide to make the change to Lake Cathie?
A: Nearly local, ha ha! My wife and I made the shift to Lake Cathie in 2005. We were living in Sutherland Shire in Sydney; I had a pool cleaning business and often had holidays in Port Macquarie. One day we decided to take a drive down to Cathie. We immediately fell in love with the area and visited the real estate on the same day. Before we made it to the end of Ghost Road (on the way back to Sydney) the agent was calling us to accept an offer on a house. We couldn't be happier.
Q: It wasn't long after you moved to Lake Cathie that you started pulling together the Lake Cathie Junior Raiders Club. What made you get involved with the footy club, and why are you so passionate about rugby league?
A: When we first arrived, the junior club was tied up with the seniors. All of a sudden, they were out on their own, with not much direction. I joined the committee just to help out, and we started with the under sixes and sevens age groups, and I really enjoyed helping the young kids. We had a small club, but a fun and caring community. The juniors now are a great flourishing footy club, from under sixes to under 16s.
I have spent 50 years in rugby league, from my time in Sydney and now up here. I love kids in sport; I get so much fulfillment watching kids learn, develop their skills and achieve their goals. I played for a large part of my life, my son played until about 18, and now I have the pleasure of watching my grandkids play.
Q: You've spent a great deal of time working alongside the local Council in regard to sporting facilities and are currently working with a number of other local sporting clubs with the aim of solving outstanding issues. What keeps you motivated?
A: I joined a committee, which was called the Lake Cathie Sports Council in 2008. Together with Vince Murphy, Mick Fullbrook and a couple of other keen blokes, we set out to make some real changes for sport in Lake Cathie. We fought for five years to expand the local sporting fields, and to be honest, didn't have much success. The local sports council ran until 2013, at which time it fell away.
We are planning on bringing back a more "community" sports council. There are a few issues where a collaborative and united voice could be beneficial; for example, the watering issue at the newly refurbished Lake Cathie Sport Fields. It's a great little field and we want to see it flourish, so our community can make good use of it!
Q: Mate, exciting news that you've been working together to pull the Senior Lake Cathie Raiders back together! What a great achievement! Tell us, who is involved, and what has it taken to get to where are you now?
A: The Club President Will Morrison and our Vice President Shane Franklin really have been the backbone of pulling the club together. Working together, we have overcome more than I thought we ever could. We have a great committee already, a great coach joining us for the 2021 season, and a great bunch of players coming up the ranks from the juniors and from the local area—all keen to get out and start playing! We really hope bringing back a senior league side will be great for the local area. There is nothing better than locals of Lake Cathie heading up to barrack for a local team.
It's also the Hastings League 100th year anniversary, so hopefully it's fitting our side rejoins the comp for this momentous occasion. We are also excited to have the Lake Cathie Tavern on board as our major sponsors. We take the club to the Group AGM this month, for their approval to re-join the comp. All going well, we'll be back on the paddock in no time!
Q: What do you love the most about Lake Cathie?
A: Mate, a cold beer at the pub—ha ha—but seriously, I love the community. I love the way the community works together, I love that I can head up to the pub and see my mates, see the blokes involved in the footy, all having a drink under one roof.
Thanks Richard.
