Jim and Marie Floyd, the couple that put the spark in Pyramid Power, are this week’s AFL Queensland Volunteers of the Week.
The Floyd’s have been involved in the Power from the beginning.
Upon hearing about the idea of a new club being started in their hometown of Gordonvale, south of Cairns, they were very quick to jump on board.
“We heard about it on the grape vine, and decided to be apart of it. We were with another club, but it was the next town over, so we were keen to get involved in our local club,” Marie said.
“We wanted to do it, to give the kids around the town an opportunity to participate, and for the love of the game. We love the game, we love the area we live in, and we can’t see why we can’t have the best of both worlds.”
Whether it is coaching, team managing, running water, registering players, or just being the supportive voices on the sidelines, the Floyd’s do it all.
Their work doesn’t stop at the Pyramid gates though; they also work closely with the Indigenous communities and schools in the area to get them playing footy.
“We have a local Indigenous Boarding college, Djarragun College, so we have got an association with them; we have Yarrabah, which is an indigenous community about 30km away, those kids play for us as well, and we have also formed an association with another boarding college, Mount St Bernards College, and they travel down by bus to play with us as well,” Marie said.
“It gives the kids who are in a boarding community environment to get opportunities to mix with other kids. It’s also good for town kids to mix with a diverse cultures.”
The Floyd’s are now into their 11th season with the Power, and there is no end in sight.
“Our son has just finished up with the juniors, but I don’t know how people can simply go home and not do anything. We have always been people who are involved with something; we get the rewards though, because as much as there is a lot of hard work along the way, there are rewards as well,” she said.
“You see the kids running around, enjoying it, with their mates. If you are not there, you wonder what those kids would be doing on a Friday night, or on a weekend.
“This way they are with their friends, playing a team sport, so I think it’s for the long haul. One week after the season, when training has stopped you think, what am I going to do with myself.”
Jim and Marie’s work does not go unnoticed in the community. This year, they were presented with the AFL Cairns Juniors’ Volunteers of the Year award.
While the accolade was nice, it’s not why they do it.
“The recognition was great, but for us, I think it’s just being able to put back to our community, and help the kids in our area. We live in a small town in the scheme of things, so we just wanted to do something for the kids in the area and give them the opportunity,” Marie said.
The position the Pyramid Power football club is in is a testament to the work, the commitment, and the dedication the Floyd’s have put in.
Without them, it just wouldn’t be possible.
Bu Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
