A CHARITY collection tin found in the charred remains of the Nangwarry football and netball clubrooms has been returned to the Mount Gambier Cancer Support Group Inc – complete with donations inside.
While most club memorabilia was destroyed in the devastating January blaze which galvanised the Nangwarry community, the burnt and damaged tin was salvaged alongside a Lightning Premiership Cup.
Recently returned to the support group with donations inside, it has been proposed the item is presented to the club to be displayed alongside other salvaged memories given Nangwarry’s strong support in past fundraisers.
Support group secretary Colleen Connell said the tin was handed to her at Hallmont Estate by a hairdresser, triggering a search for the story behind the tin.
“I was surprised to see the tin had been handed back to us from the football club,” Ms Connell said.
“The Nangwarry club have been supporters of our group for many years now and it was so lovely of them to return the tin to us.”
Ms Connell said the club had raised a “substantial amount” of money for the local cancer support group.
“All the money we raise stays here locally as there are many expenses that come alongside cancer so the more that we can help the better,” she said.
“When we got the tin back we did hear a rattling and believed the money may have been damaged to some extent.
“Yet upon opening we found the money to be usable which we were very surprised over.”
Nangwarry Football Club treasurer Kevin Dinnison said the tin was found before the area was completely demolished and was then handed back to the cancer support group.
“Because it was a cancer support group tin we handed it back to them hoping the money was retrievable,” Mr Dinnison said.
“We were all very surprised to find out that it was because everything else had been destroyed.”
Mr Dinnison also said the future looked bright for the facility rebuild, which has attracted $200,000 in federal funding.
“We are hoping to have the designs finalised in the coming weeks before we officially go out to tender on our new clubrooms,” the club secretary said.
“We are expecting to be up and running before June next year and are back on track from here on out.”
Mr Dinnison also said a donated temporary shelters “did the job” in season 2019.
“They were not too big but they were enough so that if it did rain, people had somewhere to go,” he said.
“Overall the South East community has been fantastic to us.”
