DIEHARD
06-04-08, 02:33 AM
Gold Coast is home sweet home for Preston
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/04/04/06465273.jpg
HE'S a country boy at heart who prefers the fresh air and open spaces.
But Preston Campbell says he has found his `home' on the Gold Coast and wants to remain on the tourist strip after he finishes his playing career with the Titans at the end of 2010.
"I'll definitely be hanging around the Gold Coast," said Campbell of his plans for life after football.
"The kids are settled up here, the missus loves it and I love it up here, so it's probably where I'll end up staying.
"I'm hoping to play some footy for a few more years but, then I'd like to do something with the club."
Campbell is one of NRL's genuine Mr Nice Guys.
During a time when sporting headlines are forever dominated by players behaving badly, Campbell is the complete opposite of the stereo-typed modern footballer.
He regularly goes out of his way to not only help boost the club's work within the community but also to help individuals.
The truth is, he doesn't do it just because he has to -- he does it because he likes it.
It is a path which he hopes to follow as a career for life after football.
"I've got a certificate in youth work and community services, so whether it be working in the community or welfare for the club, I'd love to stay involved," he said.
"I do a lot of it now and I enjoy doing it.
"It's a bit unfortunate, we do get a bit of time off training-wise and sometimes you just have to sit down and relax and recover from training sessions, but I'd love to do it more often.
"When I get out to do it, it's really great, I really enjoy it. I just find the position that I'm in, it's very influential. There's a lot of people around that are not as fortunate as I am so just the fact you say g'day to somebody could make a difference and it makes me feel good that I can make people feel happy."
One of his more recent visits was to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he met with a man named Patrick Dillon.
Dillon shares similarities with Campbell. The pair are both 30 years of age and Aboriginal.
The difference, however, is that Dillon is now stuck in a wheelchair after a tragic accident late last year at a swimming hole near Rockhampton which has rendered him a quadriplegic.
Campbell first met Dillon two months ago and then returned for a follow-up visit earlier this week.
The pair have formed a strong bond, which will be illustrated on the big screen at Skilled Park tonight.
"The first time I went up and met him, I was there for an hour," said Campbell.
"I just couldn't leave, you know. It's so rewarding for me to be there and I just felt that these blokes are in wheelchairs but are so positive.
"They are like magnets, they get you in and you just want to listen to their stories and how they're coping.
"He says he has tingles in his feet and toes so there are positive signs there.
"His hope is still there."
Campbell's work often inspires others. But on this occasion the tables have been well and truly turned.
"It's just unbelievable. He's definitely an inspiration," smiled Campbell.
"He's the same as me, he's 31 this year and just to look at him and to think he's gone from this to that, he's an inspiration." Life is equally as satisfying for Campbell on a personal front since he and his family moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast.
The move has put he, his wife of almost 17 years Lee, and kids Tayla, 12, Jayden, 8 and Jake, 2, closer to different family members in Toowoomba, Ballina and Lismore.
"I'm feeling a lot more happier," he said.
"In Sydney I was 10 hours away from family so sometimes I got lonely when we weren't doing well.
"You lose and you just want to crawl under a rock."
Campbell has the 'special' privilege of being able to end his career where it all began, having started with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1997.
"It's not often players get to finish off at the club they started at.
"I think that's pretty special and it shows what sort of people they are up here.
"They like to look after their own and I feel like I'm part of the Gold Coast franchise, whether it be the Chargers or the Titans.
"I feel like I'm at home."
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/04/04/06465273.jpg
HE'S a country boy at heart who prefers the fresh air and open spaces.
But Preston Campbell says he has found his `home' on the Gold Coast and wants to remain on the tourist strip after he finishes his playing career with the Titans at the end of 2010.
"I'll definitely be hanging around the Gold Coast," said Campbell of his plans for life after football.
"The kids are settled up here, the missus loves it and I love it up here, so it's probably where I'll end up staying.
"I'm hoping to play some footy for a few more years but, then I'd like to do something with the club."
Campbell is one of NRL's genuine Mr Nice Guys.
During a time when sporting headlines are forever dominated by players behaving badly, Campbell is the complete opposite of the stereo-typed modern footballer.
He regularly goes out of his way to not only help boost the club's work within the community but also to help individuals.
The truth is, he doesn't do it just because he has to -- he does it because he likes it.
It is a path which he hopes to follow as a career for life after football.
"I've got a certificate in youth work and community services, so whether it be working in the community or welfare for the club, I'd love to stay involved," he said.
"I do a lot of it now and I enjoy doing it.
"It's a bit unfortunate, we do get a bit of time off training-wise and sometimes you just have to sit down and relax and recover from training sessions, but I'd love to do it more often.
"When I get out to do it, it's really great, I really enjoy it. I just find the position that I'm in, it's very influential. There's a lot of people around that are not as fortunate as I am so just the fact you say g'day to somebody could make a difference and it makes me feel good that I can make people feel happy."
One of his more recent visits was to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he met with a man named Patrick Dillon.
Dillon shares similarities with Campbell. The pair are both 30 years of age and Aboriginal.
The difference, however, is that Dillon is now stuck in a wheelchair after a tragic accident late last year at a swimming hole near Rockhampton which has rendered him a quadriplegic.
Campbell first met Dillon two months ago and then returned for a follow-up visit earlier this week.
The pair have formed a strong bond, which will be illustrated on the big screen at Skilled Park tonight.
"The first time I went up and met him, I was there for an hour," said Campbell.
"I just couldn't leave, you know. It's so rewarding for me to be there and I just felt that these blokes are in wheelchairs but are so positive.
"They are like magnets, they get you in and you just want to listen to their stories and how they're coping.
"He says he has tingles in his feet and toes so there are positive signs there.
"His hope is still there."
Campbell's work often inspires others. But on this occasion the tables have been well and truly turned.
"It's just unbelievable. He's definitely an inspiration," smiled Campbell.
"He's the same as me, he's 31 this year and just to look at him and to think he's gone from this to that, he's an inspiration." Life is equally as satisfying for Campbell on a personal front since he and his family moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast.
The move has put he, his wife of almost 17 years Lee, and kids Tayla, 12, Jayden, 8 and Jake, 2, closer to different family members in Toowoomba, Ballina and Lismore.
"I'm feeling a lot more happier," he said.
"In Sydney I was 10 hours away from family so sometimes I got lonely when we weren't doing well.
"You lose and you just want to crawl under a rock."
Campbell has the 'special' privilege of being able to end his career where it all began, having started with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1997.
"It's not often players get to finish off at the club they started at.
"I think that's pretty special and it shows what sort of people they are up here.
"They like to look after their own and I feel like I'm part of the Gold Coast franchise, whether it be the Chargers or the Titans.
"I feel like I'm at home."
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au