To our Confraternity Carnival family,
We are writing to you as a past participant and supporter of Confraternity, to ask for your help in the continued growth of our carnival through the launch of the Confraternity Foundation.
Last year marked our 42nd Confraternity Carnival, the largest on record, and we thank you for the part you have played in its success. As the premier rugby league competition for Catholic and independent secondary schools, we continue to grow and provide new opportunities for students from across Queensland to experience this unique carnival.
Those six teams who played in the inaugural Confraternity Carnival in 1980 could not have known the enormous successes the carnival has seen. Affectionately referred to as “Confro”, the carnival has provided a platform for the creation of many great memories, and now caters for 64 teams, with the recent addition of a girls’ competition. It would also become an elite pathway that would forge the careers of NRL stars such as Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans, Valentine Holmes, and Ben Hunt. We were thrilled to see six Confro graduates selected in the Kangaroos squad for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.
It’s an amazing story of growth and the success of our carnival lies in the very definition of a confraternity. Players and all those involved in the carnival learn that we are not just united through the great game of rugby league but united in something deeper. We are joined by a common connection around our Christian faith and what it means to be a person who displays these qualities on and off the sporting field. We affectionately call this, and celebrate, the “Spirit of Confraternity”. We value this spirit more than anything at our carnivals.
Thishas been built through the dedication and generosity of many people and organisations. In that spirit, we now seek your support to ensure that we can continue to provide opportunities for players from across Queensland.
You would be aware that our carnival caters for young people across the state of Queenslan and many come from homes and communities that are in need of support. The Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League established the Confraternity Foundation in 2021 to:
- Assist disadvantaged players and schools with financial support to access the carnival.
- Support disadvantaged students with their post-school options.
- Provide opportunities for Indigenous students and students from families facing financial hardship.
We are now asking for your support to continue the “Spirit of Confraternity’ and allow more students from Queensland to experience all that is good about the Confraternity Carnival. By making a tax-deductible donation to the Confraternity Foundation, you are helping us continue our rugby league programs, allowing us to expand our program and educate more students on leading healthy lives, and ensuring the legacy of the Confraternity Carnival lives on.
People and organisations like you are the foundation of this evolving Carnival. Your support, through a mutually beneficial sponsorship or a Foundation donorship, is critical to helping our Confro community.
If you wish to contribute, you can do so by logging onto our Confraternity website www.confraternitycarnival.com.au/foundation. Please help us to help the next generation of Confraternity players enjoy the benefits and memories of the Confraternity Spirit.
Peter Elmore – QISSRL President
