AS CHRIS Walker spoke to The Daily Telegraph yesterday, the home of older brother Ben disappeared.
"Yeah, it's going under right now," the Parramatta recruit revealed. "Ben called me only a couple of minutes ago from Ipswich - said he was walking out as the water lapped his veranda.
"Apparently he's heading off to help mates sandbag their joints.
"My brother Shane is doing the same in Brisbane.
"So if we can just get approval for a more of us up there ... "
In a stunning response to the devastating Queensland flood crisis, some 80 NRL stars - the us as Walker puts it - are offering themselves up for emergency relief efforts across the stricken state.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal players from Parramatta, Penrith, Wests Tigers and Canterbury are all planning to converge on the disaster zones of Ipswich, Toowoomba and Brisbane early next week.
Speaking last night, Eels CEO Paul Osborne said the unified posse was awaiting confirmation from Queensland authorities that (a) players could get into the affected areas; and (b) they could be accommodated for up to three days.
"Like the rest of Australia we simply want to do whatever we can to help," Osborne said. "Clean houses, remove rubbish, whatever. We want to show the people of Queensland that we're here for them, that we care."The united relief effort was first born early Tuesday morning when Walker - who boasts family throughout the flooded Toowoomba and Ipswich regions - asked Osborne for a handful of signed jerseys to send north. Instead, the Eels boss got on the phone to chairman Roy Spagnolo. Then Canterbury rival Todd Greenberg. Another call each and the Panthers and Tigers were also on board.
"All of Australia is trying to work out how best to provide assistance and we're no different," Greenberg said. "Obviously we'll be doing fundraisers but we also decided an appropriate response would be our physical presence."
While the group will be guided by Queensland officials when it comes to the numbers of players who travel, Parramatta have already offered up their entire NRL squad.
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(copied and pasted from)
Donate: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
Replies
Love what you are doing Chris! I hope Ben and the rest of your family is all ok, and good on ya Parra for offering up the entire squad to help out. It touches my heart how everyone is so caring and giving, it makes me think we aren't all that bad as humans. We will get through this disaster!!
I have added the link to the QLD government website, where you can donate money to the victims.
Same here.. I am so proud of the whole Club! That's one of the good things about Ossie, he is always trying to help out those who are less fortuanate, and it does rub off on others.
I am also so proud to be a supporter and a member of such a great club.
I agree Tony.
Just goes to show that Ossie is a great guy, as well as the rest of the players, given their passion and determination to help all those affected by the tragedies.
All 80 players that have put their hand up are doing a great service.
We would love to see they boys here in Toowoomba - would be a real morale booster and help considering the last week - everything is getting really depressing even though the waters have cleared. So many people still missing. The deaths have been so overwhelming.
Love the boys for getting in and helping Chris out!!!