North Queensland Sistas all aboard for Sydney with Kinetic support

In North Queensland community, culture and sport are inseparable and local bus operator Kinetic is proud to throw its support behind a new partnership that will next month see 22 local teenagers follow their sporting dreams.

NQ Sistas is a newly developed rugby league team made up of 16- and 17-year-olds girls from Townsville to the Torres Strait Islands to develop and promote young indigenous women in the North Queensland region.

Based in Townsville, the team are now preparing for a trip of a lifetime to Sydney with an invitation to compete in a trial match against the highly successful Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy team that won the 2023 Harvey Norman Tasha Gale Grand Final.

Lauren Morrison, who founded the team, said the trip was a chance for the young women to be exposed to the world outside of their communities and pursue their dreams.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our team to test themselves against the best players in New South Wales and experience first-hand the level of commitment it takes to make it to the top in professional sport,” Lauren said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for these women to continue their personal development experiencing life on the road representing the North Queensland community. What they see and learn in their short time there will be something they’ll hold onto for life.”

“And you never know who may be watching, with the opportunity to impress a professional NRLW team.”

With most of the team attending St Patrick’s College the trip will take place during the September school holidays. As a self-funding outfit, they are looking for the support of the local community to make it a reality.

“Kinetic coming on board has been a huge step towards our fund-raising to help cover playing jerseys, flights, transfers and accommodation but we still have a way to go before we reach our target of $40,000 and would love to see more local businesses backing the NQ Sistas.”

Kinetic’s North Queensland People & Culture Manager, Michelle Ryan, said the entire team were thrilled at the opportunity to support the foundation of the NQ Sistas.

“We know the power of sport to change lives and the success of the Matildas in the FIFA World Cup and the NRLW and AFLW competitions speak for themselves, inspiring and empowering our future generation of women,” she says.

“This is a genuinely amazing opportunity for this great group of young women, and it was an easy decision for us to make to be on this journey with the team. Our team in Sydney will also help out with bus transfers on the ground, and we’ll be following their journey closely.”

Kinetic is also a partner of the Garbutt Magpies sporting and cultural association, which this year received the community award at the Queensland Reconciliation Awards for its positive sporting and cultural activities.

Earlier this year Kinetic launched its Moving the Mob initiative, a First Nations trainee bus driver program introduced to promote greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation within Kinetic’s workforce and across the transport industry.

The program encourages people with a car driver’s licence to become bus drivers and provides flexible paid training in a supportive, culturally safe environment. Several new recruits are currently completing training and will be on the road in the coming weeks.

“We want our workforce to reflect the communities in which we live and operate, and this program is about strengthening our team and offering people the opportunity to enjoy a new and rewarding career in an exciting industry,” Michelle says.

The initiative is part of Kinetic’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan and sustainability strategy which is targeting First Nations employment rate of four per cent by 2030.

Further enquiries
Steve Cadzow
Manager - Media & Communications (Northern)
0428 127 147
stevec@wearekinetic.com