AS a busy Thagoona mum, Abbey Bird knows what it’s like to run around fulfilling multiple duties.
However, she makes time to help the Rosewood Branch Little Athletics where her sons Arthur and Spencer regularly train and compete.
“It’s great for children,” Abbey said.
“It’s good to have them involved in something where they learn lots of different skills but also make friendships and just have fun.”
The club’s motto promoting those values was particularly important in recent months when the Little Athletics group was unable to train at their regular Rosewood State High School base.
Abbey hopes the young athletes can return to the school facility for the next season, after the latest challenges and Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Abbey, a qualified teacher, has played a major role helping fundraise for the club.
She kept a positive attitude during the 2024-25 season which created a new hurdle.
While some members left due to having to train at Bill Paterson Oval, Abbey praised those who remained involved, being assisted by Ipswich Little Athletics officials.
“It was a real credit to the families that they came back,” she said.
“That they made the travel into Limestone Park to come on Friday night and also the Tuesday training nights, which was really good.
“It just worked so beautifully with the athletes from Ipswich welcoming them so well. They made some really good friendships for the children.”
With some committee members unavailable during the season, Abbey stepped up to assist club president Kyrlie Thomson deal with the logistics of having to relocate.
“She [Kyrlie] has done really well,” Abbey said.
“It has just been Kyrlie and I doing all the roles this season because other committee members couldn’t make it due to other commitments – moving from a Saturday morning to a Friday night.
“I think we’ve had a pretty good season overall.”
The Rosewood club finished the season with 35 members, a pleasing outcome dealing with the enforced venue change.
The Rosewood club has its presentations this weekend.
Abbey and her family joined the Rosewood branch in the 2021-22 season.
Her sons were looking to get more involved in the sport having started athletics at school.
Having moved to Thagoona in 2019, former Wynnum Bayside resident Abbey said being so close to Rosewood enhanced the family opportunities.
At the Rosewood club, the boys share in a range of athletic events.
Year 5 student Spencer, about to turn 11, especially likes the walk, along with 800m and 1500m.
Year 4 student Arthur, aged 9, enjoys high jumping, among his different disciplines.
“They are really just enjoying it,” Abbey said.
“They do actually want to go into doing things like the regionals, next season.”
Abbey said her husband Raymond was also supportive of Spencer and Arthur pursuing their athletics enjoyment.
“It is really good because the children do enjoy it and that makes it easy to do it,” Abbey said.
“But it is also really good just to help out a really small athletics club, stay local to us, and we can go and support local businesses as well in the community because they donate raffle prizes to us.”
Abbey said being involved in a wide range of athletics events helped Arthur and Spencer improve their confidence and co-ordination for other sports like rugby league, tennis and swimming.
