Media Release September 2012

CANTERBURY RUGBY PLAYERS SWAP JERSEYS FOR APRONS
IN PRIZE FEAST

Like any Cantabrian worth her salt, Justine McGuire has spent many Saturday nights watching Canterbury rugby players score tries and win cups for the region. What Justine, who hails from the Christchurch suburb of Linwood, had never seen before was Canterbury Rugby player Sean Maitland and fellow stars Dominic Bird and Ben Funnell cooking steak and preparing salad for 23 of her family and friends last Tuesday night.

Justine, who won the players’ visit as part of a Father’s Day prize draw from The Palms Shopping Centre, was delighted to see the three Canterbury Rugby Football Union players strut through her front door and fire up her new six-burner barbeque, which was part of the prize package courtesy of Kmart. Arriving at the McGuire household to cook up a feast, the sportsmen impressed visitors with their grace, good humour and ability to remember the names of the people they had talked to.

“It really was an amazing time – the CRFU players were all so lovely and did a great job cooking the steaks on the new barbeque,” Justine says. “My sons invited all of their friends over, of course, and the players were so gracious answering their questions and generally having a good time. One of the players said they felt as if they were at a barbie with one of their friends, being in Christchurch and all, and they even remembered some of my son’s friends’ names!”

The Father’s Day BBQ Bash prize draw offered shoppers at The Palms the chance to win a dinner cooked by CRFU players on a new barbeque if they spent $25 or more before 6pm on Father’s Day. The prize was actually won by Justine’s mother Yvette Kinley, who kindly gifted it to Justine and her family due to their appreciation of the CRFU team and need of a new barbeque.

Justine says, “Mum was amazing to gift us the prize – all the boys really loved it, and were proud to bring their friends. Being a red-zoned house, we were already in the market for a new property, and the old barbeque was a little rusty. The new one really is a top-of-the-line cooker, and besides a few celebrities being in the house, I really just loved that someone else was cooking for me on a Tuesday night!”

The Palms Shopping Centre manager Simon Carter was delighted to be able to award the package to a family both grateful and deserving of such a prize.

“The Palms is very focused on providing the best experiences possible for the local community, and I feel this is exactly what the Father’s Day BBQ Bash has achieved. Not only have three Canterbury rugby players been able to visit some of their biggest fans, but Kmart has also been able to reach out and provide a great barbeque to a family that really needed it. I am glad the McGuire family had a great time and wish them a great summer with their new six-burner barbeque.”

The prize draw ran for several weeks at The Palms Shopping Centre before being drawn after Father’s Day.

ends

About The Palms
The Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley (four kilometres from the Christchurch CBD), is an asset in the AMP Capital Shopping Centre Fund (ASCF). The Fund has 11 properties under management with a total fund size of over AU$2 billion.

The Palms Shopping Centre is proud to sponsor the Canterbury Rugby Football Union’s Take a Kid to Footy programme, which helps kids get involved in rugby and attend CRFU games at a lower cost.

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