From Wallaroos to Lions: Rugby-loving pub owners take pride in local partnership

When the Orange City Lions take to the field this season they will once again do so with the Hotel Canobolas logo emblazoned on the orange jersey. It is a partnership that began three years ago when the prominent main street pub was purchased by the rugby-loving Sukkar family in partnership with The Point Group.

For Tony and Josephine Sukkar, founders of construction giant Buildcorp, investing in grassroots rugby is something they’ve done for more than 30 years, promoting all levels of rugby at the club, state and national level, being the principal sponsor of the Australian women’s side, the Wallaroos.

“Three years ago, one of the first things we did was establish a connection with the Orange City Rugby Club,” said The Point Group CEO, Brett Robinson.

“The Sukkas family are very involved in Australian rugby… and they sponsor grassroots rugby across the eastern seaboard.

“They've got Buildcorp offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and you’ll find they sponsor grassroots rugby in every one of those cities.

“Wherever we go, both as The Point Group and as Buildcorp, we like supporting the community, we like supporting grassroots rugby.”

“And we're really pleased to be the recipients of that hospitality,” said Orange City Rugby Cloub President Chris Whittaker. “It's helping us across the board. Our junior numbers are swelling. We're doing a lot of work up at the ground that we've had some funding for.. and we feel like it's a really good connection for both parties, so we're really pleased.”