In 1967 Barry Spalding, a Cronulla Caringbah Sharks junior rugby league coach, had to move to Inverell to the cool NSW mid north west for work.

Community service transcends borders and in Inverell he became involved with the local junior rugby league club, the Inverell Minor League Hawks, whose message is “what a great environment for junior rugby league.” 

Inverell hasn't got a beach and the Sutherland Shire does not have the country life so Spalding thought it would be great for the kids back in Cronulla to experience the country and the kids from the country to experience the city and beaches during the July school holidays.

Subsequently, a plan was put in place to organise a visit to the country the first year and then a visit to the city the next with local families billeting kids and the Cronulla family paying back the favour the following year.

This one-off idea was such a success that both Cronulla Caringbah Sharks and Inverell Minor League agreed to make it an annual event for the under-11s and 14s.

Fifty years later it is still going strong and the football mad kids are still loving it – remaining friends for life. “When Inverell visits the city we take them to the zoo, Luna Park, the city and we go surfing. When Cronulla visits the country we go opal mining, visit farms with horse riding and motor bikes and check out their Green Valley amusement park,” Cronulla Caringbah Sharks club president Cameron Johnston said.

“I went to Inverell 32-years-ago as a 13-year-old in 1984 and experienced the whole country life. Now I am the president of Cronulla Caringbah Sharks and my 10-year-old son Max is doing his turn. “Whether we are in the country or in the city we always finish the weekend off with a friendly game of footy and a sausage sanga.”