HE has built a reputation as one of the safest wingers in the NRL, and now Gold Coast Titans star Anthony Don is helping to spread the message of cyber safety among students in the Clarence Valley community as part of the NRL’s Road to Regions campaign.
Taking a break from the Titans’ grueling pre-season training regime, Don is back in his hometown, visiting schools and junior rugby league clubs – including his old team, the Grafton Ghosts – to spread the important message of cyber safety to school students.
But he will also be there to spread the rugby league gospel as well, with the Titans fan-favourite conducting coaching clinics, coaches updates, a State of Mind session and visiting troubled youths at the local detention centre – on top of seven school visits during his three-day tour.
If he thought a break from pre-season training would be a good chance for a rest, he may need to reconsider.
But Don says he is delighted with the hectic schedule, using the visit to reach as many students as he can with positive messages about cyber safety and health and wellbeing, using his profile and positivity around the Titans and rugby league to encourage kids to make positive choices.
“It is awesome to be back in the Clarence Valley and representing the Titans, delivering a cyber-safety message,” Don told titans.com.au.
“I am honoured to be able to deliver the message and help the students out.
“I am looking forward to getting out and spreading the message about cyber safety and getting to my old schools. I am getting to pretty much every school in the Clarence Valley, so it is going to be a busy couple of days.. but it is something I am really looking forward to.
“We are spreading the cyber safety message that it is important for high school kids and primary school kids that they need to be really safe when they are online.
“Every kid is going to be engaged in online games or social media, so we are spreading the message about how to be safe online and not give away too many private details.”
Don said he knew from the experience of growing up as a league-loving kid in a regional community how much of a difference the NRL’s Road to Region tour was in spreading positive messages through personal interaction with NRL stars.
“You don’t get to see many elite athletes come back to the Clarence Valley, just because of the geographic location – it is a bit far away from Sydney and Brisbane,” he said.
“It is great that someone from the Titans can come back to the Clarence Valley – it is part of our catchment area and there are a lot of kids from this area that are competing in the TEDS program at the moment.”
