Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain’s rugby community will get an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this weekend as one of the sport’s greatest legends touches down for a special evening dinner and coaching sessions with the kingdom’s young stars.
David Campese, widely known as ‘Campo’, will be the guest speaker at a lavish banquet to be held in a marquee at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club, as well as hosting training sessions for the club’s youth teams in the morning.
The 52-year-old Australian, who was capped 101 times for his country between 1982-1996 and held the world record for the most number of tries in test matches until 2006, exclusively spoke to GulfWeekly about his forthcoming trip.
He said: “It has been a long time since I was last in Bahrain, and I’m looking forward to having a fantastic time.
“Rugby clubs around the world are the heart and soul of the game, so I’m looking forward to meeting everyone there. In particular, I love coaching kids so I will make sure that the basic skills are there, and that they have a very enjoyable time.
“Children are the future, so making sure that the coaches and parents understand the importance of doing the skills right from day one is imperative. Furthermore, sport is a great way to understand teamwork and how it helps you become a better person.”
Campese has ties with Bahrain, as his South African father-in-law, Martin Benkenstein, lived on the island between 2004 and 2008. Benkenstein was closely involved with Kuwait Finance House on the development of the Durrat Al Bahrain project and also the sponsorship of the 2007 World Cup Springbok Rugby Team by Canterbury, a company owned by KFH.
Benkenstein said: “My wife Lorna and I made many long-lasting friends in Bahrain, who keep us informed about the kingdom’s news and events.
“Bahrain is a unique and special island paradise with an articulate and talented cosmopolitan population who enjoy a world-class lifestyle.
“I’d love to visit again with my son-in-law, but unfortunately as grandparents to his and my daughter Lara’s three kids, we are on duty as school holidays end tomorrow and cricket, athletics, hockey and homework are back on the agenda!”
The evening will also feature a charity auction for memorabilia, with the most special item being a chance to play a full 18-hole game of four-ball golf with Campese at the Royal Golf Club on Saturday at 10am.
There is also a planned autograph session so the Australian community and rugby fans in general, can get their books and playing shirts signed.
All proceeds will go towards the Bill McLaren Foundation, a charity named after one of rugby’s most iconic commentators. The aim of the initiative aims to support individuals and organisations to actively promote and develop rugby union and its values, and in particular provide opportunities for youngsters in sport.
These are the same values shared by Campese. He explained: “The main reason I’m in Bahrain is to honour the great voice of rugby, Bill McLaren, and his Foundation. I’m very proud to be a part of Bill’s great work over the years, and now his legacy continues with the fantastic work done all over the world.
“Bill was the best commentator, a rare breed that spoke with passion and loved the game. Most of all, he was a great friend of mine.”
BRFC chairman Mike Cunningham is delighted that a player frequently named in ‘greatest of all time’ lists is coming to the country.
He said: “We as a club decided that we wanted to do a speaker’s dinner, as it’s been a number of years since we last had one. With the start of the new season underway, it seemed like the perfect time to do it and carry on the momentum the club is building.
“The ultimate goal, apart from having a great evening at the club, is to further our mission of getting kids playing sports, which is what we do at the rugby club throughout the week.”
Campese’s visit was orchestrated by the club’s sports coordinator Lindsey Gibson, who hails from the same Scottish town as McLaren.
McLaren was a commentator renowned worldwide, often dubbed as ‘the voice of rugby’. He started out as a PE teacher in Hawick before catching his big break on BBC Radio and forging a career that spanned almost 50 years. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 86.
Gibson said: “McLaren was a Hawick man like myself, so that’s where the charity was set up. I’m in contact with the manager of the foundation, John Thorburn, and since they’d never had an event in the Middle East before, or indeed outside of the UK and Ireland, it was a fantastic opportunity for both sides.
“They see it as a great opportunity to see what we were doing for the sport of rugby out here, and for us, we can offer our young players and rugby fans in general a hugely rare opportunity to meet one of the sport’s greats.”
Thorburn was similarly as delighted. He told GulfWeekly: “I speak on behalf of our team here in Scotland when I say we are incredibly grateful to be holding an event in partnership with Bahrain RFC.
“It’s a pleasure to bring over David Campese as he was Bill’s favourite player in the rugby world. We look forward to an exciting and memorable night.”
• An Evening with David Campese will take place on Friday from 7.30pm onwards. Tickets are available from reception and cost BD25 for rugby club members, and BD30 for non-members..
