World no.7 and Evans Head local Callum Robson is running a fundraiser for those affected in the flood ravaged Northern Rivers. All proceeds raised will be given to the GIVIT charity and the Mid-Richmond Neighbourhood centre to get supplies to those who need it most. Prizes include a signed surfboard by all WSL 2022 tour surfers, full day of surf coaching with Callum at Surfing Australia HPC and more. The raffle will be drawn this Thursday on June 30th.
Words from Callum’s Instagram:
“There’s only a few days left to get involved in a major fundraiser to help my flood affected home town get back on its feet. The area I grew up in was ravaged by unprecedented flooding twice and the clean-up recovery is only just the beginning. Thousands of people, some who remain homeless, need continued support to get back on their feet.
To help these communities, I’ll be raffling off a bunch of incredible prizes with the money raised to go to GIVIT, which will be working with the Mid-Richmond Neighbourhood Centre to ensure the donated goods are going to the right places. The MRNC is helping to identify who needs what supplies and how urgently.”
Head to callumrobson.com.au to buy tickets.
Below is an excerpt of Issue 585’s feature ‘Callum Robson: Full Throttle’- which outlines why it means so much for the 21-year-old to give back to his local community.
CALLUM ROBSON: FULL THROTTLE
FROM ISSUE 585
Issue 585 is available on stands now or read the rest of the story in Tracks Premium.
Arriving home from Portugal, Callum was shocked by the scene of devastation. “It felt like a deadest war zone. The defence force was everywhere with big trucks and big machinery to take away the mess. Out the front of my parent’s house there was a pile a few meters high and 10 meters long, just all stuff, which was pretty hectic.”
The spontaneous 20K donation had come from a surfer riding a naked board, bereft of stickers promoting brands who might have elected to support the youngest rookie on tour. Callum had no sponsors. His prize money was his only source of cash flow, but he still felt like he owed his brethren back home, not least of all because they had helped finance his quest to make the CT Tour.
When Callum qualified for the Challenger series in 2021, his lack of sponsorship support meant he was forced to launch a crowd-funding campaign to get him to the events. The majority of the funds that filtered through the platform came from the Evans Head community.
So when Callum saw what was unfolding at home he felt compelled to give back. “More than the actual money, it was just talking about getting it out there, using my platform to try and raise awareness, because the government didn’t really come to the party as much as everybody thought was necessary.”
Issue 585 is available on stands now or read the rest of the story in Tracks Premium.
