International Members visit Rabbitohs Headquarters to Renew their Memberships
They met on Twitter, discovered their common passion for the Rabbitohs and have never looked back.
Danielle Leen from the Netherlands, Susilawati Rimbajaya from Indonesia, and Sheri Ann Aldrich and Gayle-Lynne Gordon from the United States made the trip out to Rabbitohs headquarters at Redfern to renew their International Memberships.
Clockwise from top right are Sheri, Danielle, Susilawati and Gayle-Lynne.
Dedication and passion beamed from these four ladies who met in Sydney for the first time a couple of days earlier, and have spent countless hours watching Rabbitohs games live on Omni Sport.TVtogetherwhile chatting to each other about game highlights, tries, rules and calls.
I lived in England for some years and was involved in the military, so had heard of Rugby League while I was out there, Sheri Ann, a police officer from Las Vegas, Nevada, said.
I am a big Russell Crowe fan so when a friend of mine on Twitter posted a new website on Russell and the Rabbitohs, I had a look and was immediately intrigued.
That is where I met these other girls and we fell in love with the Rabbitohs.
I even have a Rabbitohs tattoo and customised Rabbitohs sneakers!
My birthday is in February, and I am going to speak to my husband when I get back home about buying me a ticket to Return to Redfern for my birthday.
Ill be back soon!
Gayle-Lynnes love for the Rabbitohs started in Jacksonville, Florida when she watched the team fall just short of a win against the British Leeds Rhinos in front of 12,000 people in 2008.
Gayle-Lynne explains that watching this unfamiliar sport with a loud crowd got her hooked.
I started to get tired of watching American football, and Rugby League was such an exciting game to watch, Gayle-Lynne said.
Its as much of a contact sport as American Football, but you can actually see the players without all the padding!
Danielle Leen is the furthest away from Australia, and began following the Rabbitohs about ten years ago through a Russell Crowe website.
From then Danielle has wanted to become a Member of the Rabbitohs, and that dream came true for her last week.
The feeling of being here, in Redfern at the Rabbitohs headquarters is indescribable, Danielle said.
I have dreamed about coming out here for so long because I have really grown to love watching them play.
Seeing players like Chris Sandow get out there and play like a giant is phenomenal.
Susilawati Rimbajaya also began to follow the Rabbitohs online, and joins the girls each week in cyber space to watch the boys play.
Its my favourite thing to do, I love watching the game online and was so excited to come out here, Susilawati said.
Just taking all of this in and being able to take photos of where it all started Redfern Oval is a dream-come true.
My favourite Rabbitohs player is Nathan Merritt, and I believe he will be the top try scorer in the NRL next season.
I just arrived in Sydney this morning and was so excited to drop my bags and come out here.
The enthusiasm, dedication and excitement that these Members exuberated showed the real passion of our Members.
Even though they live thousands of kilometres away from South Sydney, their support and love of the Rabbitohs is remarkable.
The girls also visited the Rabbitohs merchandise store, and attended the stage production of Ben Hur at ANZ Stadium while in town.
