A Community Champion, from turf to surf
Sometimes it feels like there’s more than one Hanna Clare. There’s Hanna that supports aspiring rugby league players in her day job with Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Hanna that nurtures wellbeing as a Board Member at Belrose Eagles Rugby League Football Club. And Hanna that supports ‘clubbies’ from surf life saving clubs the length of Sydney’s Northern Beaches as the Director of Member Services for Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches.
No matter which role she’s turning her attention to, you can be sure wellbeing is top of Hanna’s mind.
As Pathways Operations Manager at the Sea Eagles, Hanna nurtures the club’s male and female players from age 15 through to 21.
“They have got a lot of pressures in their life and one thing we are really trying to do is create a high performance environment, as opposed to a high pressure environment. Part of that is ensuring we engage with their wellbeing and put things in place so they know how to deal with the roller coaster of rugby league.”
Her passion for promoting wellbeing saw Hanna share that message with the wider community by helping to establish the inaugural Gotcha4Life Cup game against the Roosters, hosted by the Sea Eagles.
It’s a commitment she’s replicated at grassroots level with the Belrose Eagles, organising the club’s first Gotcha4Life Community Cup this year.
Belrose took on the Narrabeen Sharks under lights, with both teams donning Gotcha4Life socks in a local derby in front of a huge crowd.
“On the field there’s that real physicality and that going into battle, but off the field we all stand together on the same team. We all go into battle together when it comes to mental fitness and mental health.”
“The stigma within rugby league, in what has been a male dominated sport, is that ‘she’ll be right’ mentality that Gotcha4Life are working so hard to break down. We were able to raise funds for Gotcha4Life that will go back into some crucial programs in our community.”
Belrose Eagles President Deb Kennedy said the players got right behind the initiative.
“There’s no question about Hanna’s commitment to mental wellbeing and mental health. I have the ear for the most part of the older people - and having Hanna come through and bring that younger perspective certainly resonates with a lot of the juniors,” Deb says.
“We are dealing with a number of big, burly footballers, so I think it’s the start of the conversations for many of these guys who are 20 to 30 year olds who don’t particularly like getting in touch with their feelings. It opened up an avenue for them to be able to start having discussions with their mates.”
“It was quite delightful for me when at training in subsequent weeks after the match, you saw blokes turning up in their Gotcha socks.”
Time to Row
Hanna switched her attention from turf to surf when she rallied local clubs including Avalon, Palm Beach, Long Reef, Mona Vale, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and Manly to get behind Gotcha4Life 24 Hour Row.
“To have our Surf Clubs - that are really community hubs these days and the backbone of our communities - bringing people from all walks of life to the beach, was really powerful.”
“You were not just dealing with the members you patrol with on the weekend, but you were rowing alongside those who you walk alongside in your community, and often you don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life. So to have that catalyst for some conversations and to be able to check in on your Gotcha4Life mates is really important.”
“You never really know what someone is going through, but you hope by these timely reminders, by having these community events, it goes to the Gotcha4Life goal of bringing suicide rates down to zero. You just never know how timely it might be as a reminder to someone to reach out for help if they require it.”
We’ll leave the last word to Gotcha4Life founder Gus Worland.
