Berita
Masyarakat
Pulau Krismas
Christmas Island Community Newsletter
Issue No. 634
12th May 2017
Price: $2.00
Inter Island Games 2017
Cocos Keeling Reigns Supreme in Rugby League in the Island Territories
Jubilant Cocos team watched on by SBS Television crew on Home Island
“There couldn't have been a better result, it’s a win win win result” said Captain and CI Rugby President Tim
Briggs, after a game that saw Cocos Island claw back and defeat Christmas Island in the final dying minutes
of the Rugby League Indian Territory Shield match held on Home Island at the 2017 CKI Inter-Island
Games. “It’s a win for Cocos who just keep getting better, it’s a win for Christmas Island Rugby who have a
standard to train for at the next contest, and it’s a win for Christmas Islanders who are going to see one hell
of a rugby match come October on Territory Sports Day 2017 at the next Island games.
Raised as a possible sporting event in the mid 1990s and again in the early 2000’s, it was a chance visit by
a Swiss soccer team to Christmas and Cocos Island in 2015 that reignited the conversation between the two
Island Shires for an Inter Island tournament.
At this time, rugby was taking hold introduced by a Cocos Island student studying in Perth, as all year 11
and 12s are required to, who becoming enthused with Rugby League joined competitions in Perth.
It was Zabidi Abedin who laid the seed for a burgeoning rugby culture in Cocos Island, on his return
introduced Rugby League to friends and CK Islanders, taking on training and forming a team.
It was a stroke of fortune that Constable Kelemudi Nabukete, a passionate rugby mad native Fijian and his
family arrived on Christmas Island, that through his duties on both Cocos and Christmas Island saw the Inter
Island Games as a perfect vehicle to develop and showcase Rugby on the Islands.
CI Sports Day October 2016 saw the first Inter Island games spearheaded by Kel & Christmas Island
Rugby, supported by the Shire and Christmas Island Cricket and Sporting Association with Rugby Touch,
League, Soccer and Volleyball competitions.
The games saw a revival in sporting ties between the Islands not seen since the early 1990s time with visits
by Cocos Island soccer teams at that time the prominent sport on CKI.
In April 2017 CI Rugby and supporters organised logistics and teams which included Rugby Touch, League,
Volleyball and Soccer flew to Cocos for the CKI leg Inter Island Games being held on Cocos
Islands Act of Self Determination Day.
Article & photos by Oliver Lines, continues on the back page.
BACK PAGE
ISSUE NO. 634
The euphoria was palpable as the final whistle blew
for the Rugby League match, with spectating, usually
reserved Home Islanders including mothers, cheering
and running onto the field, proudly embracing sons
and players whom had not long before looked on in
concern as young bodies were battered and crunched
under the hot Cocos sun. It was as though Cocos had
won the World Cup, but even better.
Leading up to the Rugby League Shield game, signs
weren't looking as though it was going to be easy as
CI won a fiercely contested Rugby Touch match.
On a separate field, Christmas Islands usual
dominance of Soccer was put under the test by
resilient Cocos competitors who fought off waves of
attacks with stoic defence and counter attacks,
resulting in close 1-0 1-0 defeats, leaving CI as the
undisputed Soccer Champs in the Territories
retaining the Territory Cup.
A consecutive Inter Island games defeat saw
Cocos overrun CI in Volleyball, a repeat of 2016.
Having played on both sand and grass against CI,
there was no question by CI of any possible
difference other than being genuinely outplayed.
The next games will be held in October on Sports
Day and it is expected that the competitive stakes
will be raised to take the title of best Rugby Soccer - Volleyball Island in the Territories.
The Inter Island Games is a fantastic event and
opportunity to strengthen not only sporting but also
cultural ties that have faded somewhat over the last
two decades. The Inter Island Games would not
have been possible without the hard work of
dedicated volunteers sacrificing time and
organising what is a mammoth event.
The Inter Island Games
invites everybody to be
part of the games by volunteering and supporting the event from individuals to
businesses. The Christmas Island Teams thank Cocos for their hospitality and
hard work putting the games together in Cocos.
Cocos Island was in fact a revelation having spent over 25 years on CI and not
yet visiting. The two Islands are ying and yang, completely different yet perfectly
complimenting each other with “Castaway Island”, the other, “Jurassic Park”.
With a 1 hour flight out on Tuesday and back on Saturday Cocos is an ideal
getaway for CI islanders and vice versa for people on CKI to visit CI.
Contact the CKI Tourism Centre for info and as somebody once said
“Do yourself a favour”.
Let the Games Begin!
Article and photos O.Lines