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Pratten Park Magpies est. 1986, would like to wish all of our Members and your Family a Happy New Year and welcome you to another exciting year ahead.
We enter 2025 in a strong financial and structural position due largely to the significant and generous support of Holman Barnes Group, to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude. Our relationships with Wests Magpies FC, Wests Archives and Wests Tigers continues to be of the highest level, working together in the very best interests of all parties.
Our website (www.prattenparkmagpies.info), continues to experience an exponential rise in the number of ‘hits’ in recent years due largely to our Group SMS system and our presence on Facebook. From a humble beginning of 100 visits per week, we are now averaging between 350 to 400 hits per week, many visits from first time or new users. Along the way, we have reached some magnificent milestones with a record week of 1015 hits and reaching an overall total of 200,000 hits on 24 October last year. Suffice to say we are extremely proud of our website and the benefits it brings to our Members.
In a further wonderful develop, Pratten Park Magpies in association with Wests Archives and Holman Barnes Group, are absolutely delighted to bring direct to your mobile phone, biographies of all of our Heritage Listed players. The feedback received from our Members regarding this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. To celebrate the New Year, we will soon be releasing Bio’s on two of our Club Legends and indeed Legends of the game of Rugby League, those being Tommy Raudonikis and John ‘Dallas’ Donnelly.
2025 is shaping up as another exciting year with much to offer. We have numerous events scheduled which should satisfy the appetite of us all, including several games and special days at one of our three spiritual homes, Lidcombe Oval. We will be releasing our Events Calendar towards the end of January. The Calendar will remain on our Website throughout the Year to enable easy access and planning, however, event reminders will be sent by SMS directly to your mobile phone.
To commence the Year, we will be celebrating our Waratahs to Magpies… those Players who have proudly represented NSW Rugby Union and Western Suburbs Magpies which includes Jack Thompson, Arthur Summons, Stephen Knight, Robbie Parker, Peter Rowles, Andrew Leeds and Chris Stephandellis. A Commemorative Waratahs Cap will be presented to each of the aforementioned or their Family.
Our Annual Reunion has been locked in for Saturday 26 July @ Wests Ashfield Leagues, as we celebrate our Multicultural Heritage including our former teammates such as Tommy and Myself from Lithuania, Nick & George Moroko from Ukraine, our Italians… Paul Merlo & Leo Epifania and of course our Lebanese connection of Steve & George Ghosn and Alan Fallah and many, many more.
We remain committed to increasing our Membership base and to this end, will continue to focus on our 90’s players and strongly encouraging Membership from ex-players and officials from this decade. Our current Membership totals just under 450.
Importantly, we will continue and improve our Wellbeing support during the year, and although limited in what we can do, we are confident you will appreciate the approach we are taking. It is all about looking out for our Mates!
We very much look forward to seeing you at one and hopefully more of our functions throughout the Year.
Mick Liubinskas
President
Pratten Park Magpies