Chelly and Nicki on a walk by the sea. Chelly (real name Chelsea) is a black Labrador and is Nicki’s second guide dog, she is almost nine.
HERE at Australian Times we love bringing people together. We recently had a request from Nicki, one of our readers, who is looking for someone to accompany her to the England V Australia opening ceremony and game at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff on Saturday 26 October at 2:30pm. Nicki is blind, and thus needs a bit of help getting around. If you able to accompany Nicki to the game, she is happy to pay for your ticket as a thank you, as long as you can meet her in Cardiff!
We chat to Nicki about her love of rugby, and Australia:
Hi Nicki, Where are you from?
My Dad’s maternal side of the family were from Victoria — they moved to South Africa, then to Zimbabwe where I was born — so I suppose that only makes me a quarter Australian — but I’m very proud to be that. I always say to people I’m half-British and half-Antipodean (with the Zimbabwean bit making up the other quarter). My parents came to Britain when they found out I was blind, in order to give us all a better life. I’d always wanted to go to Australia — so two years ago I went and volunteered at a radio station in Perth. I went by myself — without Chelly, my beloved Labrador guide dog. I absolutely fell in love with Perth — and was amazed at how relaxed Aussies seem to be about disability. I’ve struggled to find work as a journalist here — as employers seem to look at what I can’t do — as opposed to what I can. It was so refreshing to find a place without that attitude.
What do you do?
I’ve just completed a post-grad course in broadcast journalism at Cardiff University and I’m looking for work in the media. I’ve just been over to Melbourne and Perth by myself again — and made lots of lovely friends out there. It was good to be able to travel round — as opposed to being in one place all the time. It’s lovely to have a website like Australian Times to keep up with what’s going on there too.
How can we help you out?
I contacted the Australian Times to see if you could help me find someone to go to the RLWC games with — it’ll be such fun as I doubt the World Cup will come to Britain again anytime soon. It will be amazing being at the opening ceremony — and depending on how far Australia progresses I’m going to try to get to the final as well. I’ve never been to a rugby league game — I’m more into rugby union — but I went to see Wales against Australia last December in Cardiff and wore my Wallabies top with pride. I’m also very fond of horseracing and was lucky to meet Luke Nolan (jockey of Black Caviar) when she ran at Royal Ascot last year.
If you would like to take Nicki up on her offer, and accompany her to the game, send us an email at editor@australiantimes.co.uk with RLWC Australia vs England in the subject header, and we’ll forward it on to Nicki.
Share with your friends on Facebook, and lets help Nicki get to the game!