No doubt numbers will continue to grow on Tuesday and Friday nights as the game gets closer.  Great to see Matt Bush is so keen, so early, in the season and pushing all the players at training.  It was also very encouraging to see so many Under Eighteens at training early in the season as this is a good sign of things to come.

Newly appointed Captain / Coach Bill Tukana has not yet arrived in town as he has been given the job of preparing a Fijian side for the Cabramatta Nines tournament at the end of January.  He will take over his job of coaching the Magpies from Peter Glyde and Maurie Hulbert who have begun the early season conditioning work.

Many positive comments have been heard about the new roof already put on the Grandstand at Bellingen Park as a result of the hard work of a number of Magpies in early December.  Under the guidance of super supervisor Maurie Hulbert the roof is only the beginning of other improvements to the grandstand.

Thanks to all those people who bought tickets in the Christmas canoe raffle and I have been told that winner Peter Rose and wife June have had many a quite paddle on the Bellinger River in their new vessel.

The Charity Rugby League game on February 28 is getting bigger and better every year as this year two regional Academy teams Northern Rivers and North Coast Under 16s and 17s will play starting at 1.30pm followed by an Under 18’s game between Bellingen and Macksville and a first grade game between Macksville and Uralla at 4.30pm and then the Army Thunder Bellingen Magpies annual encounter at 6pm. This should be a great afternoon of entertaining rugby league. Prior to the Saturday matches, on Friday 27 there is a 3 Ball Ambrose Golf Day with great prizes, registration is $90 including lunch; bookings can be made at the Golf Club 66551312.  On Sunday March 1 the Army Band will once again hold a concert at the C.ex Club Coffs Harbour with Adults $10, Kids under 10 Years a Gold Coin Donation.

The Group 2 competition does not begin until early in April after Easter but there are already two official trial games to be played in March and Bill has stated he would like to play a few other games to have a look at all the players.  He hopes to bring several of the players from his Nines team to trial with the Magpies so things are looking very positive for the upcoming season.  As the jumpers had to be ordered last year the committee had very little time to organize all the sponsors so there are still some vacancies on the back of First Grade.  Please contact a committeeman or ring 6655-1658 if you are interested in helping out.