Alan Tongue became a Canberra Raiders cult hero because of his red hair and gutsy determination, but his big heart has catapulted him to much greater things since he hung up the boots.
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Tongue could have easily walked into coaching job when he retired from the NRL in 2011 but he opted for a tougher test in changing the lives of youths.
In 2017 Tongue was nominated as the Australian of the Year for his work mentoring juvenile offenders and combating family and domestic violence and now he taking an important message about violence against women to North West Queensland this week.
Tongue is taking his NRL Voice Against Violence Workshops to schools and rugby league clubs in Cloncurry and Mount Isa.
This program is aimed at providing the participant with greater understanding and awareness of gender based violence.
Tongue said it was also a great opportunity to use rugby league as a vehicle to deliver the message to the community.
“We talk about the prevention of violence towards women and children, and towards men as well,” Tongue said.
“The program was designed for our 16 to 18 year old footballers right across Australia and we do it through the schools and the football clubs.”
Tongue said rugby league was his passion and he believed the code could lead the way in this program empowering people to make the right decisions.
“The reason why we do it in our football clubs is not because we are pointing the finger at football,” he said.
“But as men we have connections with other men to enable us be the leaders of change in that space.”
Participants in the program are be provided with insights into what this violence is, the different forms in takes, the consequences and why it occurs and there is information and practical advice on how everyone us can contribute to the prevention of such violence.
Tongue is holding a Community Providers Workshop in town on Wednesday.
“It’ll be my first time to Mount Isa and the first time we are bringing the program to the region so we are really looking forward to connecting,” he said.