When Shelley Darcy took over as principal at Geurie Public School one of her biggest goals was strengthening the connection to the local community.
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If an example was needed of her success, it came last week.
The Geurie Goats, the rugby club in the town of roughly 700, donated 20 mini versions of their jersey for the students' sporting endeavours.
"This was such a kind donation and a show of support from our community," Mrs Darcy said.
"We take kids away to any sporting opportunity that we can. But a lot of the time, because we're a small school with a small school budget, we just turn up in our uniform or maybe we might borrow someone else's kit if we need something specific.
"Now, we're definitely going to not only play the part, but we will look the part when we're there."
Not only does it boost school pride and strengthen ties with the community, the donation of the popular bright pink jerseys has proved a real hit with the students.
"As soon as they (Goats) turned up, the sense of pride and belonging in the kids was almost palpable," Mrs Darcy said.
"It was something that you could feel, they were so excited by it to part of that. They just had this genuine sense of belonging and the first question was 'when do we all play?"
Ironically, the word 'goat' has been one thrown around a lot at Geurie Public School.
![Members of the Geurie Goats rugby club and students from Geurie Public with their new school sport jerseys. Picture supplied Members of the Geurie Goats rugby club and students from Geurie Public with their new school sport jerseys. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/151fa0ec-6f18-4759-8234-9143280e19cb.jpg/r67_0_1134_600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mrs Darcy uses the 'G.O.A.T' (Greatest Of All Time) abbreviation regularly around her students.
"These kids can be anything they want to be, regardless of their age, their location, whatever their interests are, they can go into that field in the future and excel," she said.
"It just links nicely, with the fact that's the rugby team here."
The school had plenty of praise for Goats club president, Matt Dowell who organised the jerseys.
Mrs Darcy had originally reached out to the club in the hope of getting some sponsorship to help buy some jerseys, and he simply took over the operation.
It was a proud moment for the principal, especially given her determination to bond the school with the community.
Enrolments at the school are heavily impacted by the lack of after-school care, which forces a large amount of parents in town who work in Dubbo to take their children with them.
![Dubbo Roos and Geurie players after the 2023 Old Boys' game to honour Marty Tink. Picture supplied Dubbo Roos and Geurie players after the 2023 Old Boys' game to honour Marty Tink. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/d99097bd-29ff-4f91-9019-b9013ffea5ff.jpg/r12_48_1008_607_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Given the lack of after-school care at Geurie, many people in town who work in Dubbo take their children to school there.
But Mrs Darcy wants to showcase all her school has to offer, and remind people what exists on their own doorstop.
"It's about showing that these kids don't miss out on any experiences, that the education that we deliver, as well as all of the extracurricular activities is a priority," she said.
"It helps to build that sense of community and if they're enrolling their kids in our school, we have to be visible in the community and build that sense of this being a place where your children can thrive and where your kids can be their best every day in that small environment, in the community they live in."
The donation was also special for the Goats, who are gearing up for another special event on Friday, July 5.
The Goats will take on the Dubbo Roos in the annual Old Boys' game to honour Marty Tink. Tink did a huge amount for both clubs over the course of three decades before his death in 2022.
This is the second edition of the match, which is now an annual event and puts a focus on mental health.
The Old Boys' game will kick-off at 6pm at Apex Oval, with the Goats Oilsplus Cup match against the Coonabarabran Kookas to follow at 7pm.