ANZCO's Local Heroes: Kurt Dixon

Today, meet Kurt Dixon

Production Supervisor at ANZCO Foods Kōkiri

Kurt coaches his local rugby league team, the Greyhounds, in the Canterbury Rugby League Premier Men’s Competition. He first got involved coaching age group rugby, and then he continued coaching the Greyhounds at senior level.

It's a big commitment and the coaches and managers spend a lot of time travelling to and from Christchurch on Saturdays throughout the season - sometimes up to 16 hours! But it's inspiring to experience the support from the community, and Kurt gets a buzz from seeing people travel to support the team, and see the great players who have come out of the team. Greymouth is a small town, so everyone knows everyone, and it means the team gets a lot of support. 

He's proud to play a part in keeping the team's legacy alive, and stays motivated by watching young guys growing as players and wanting to learn and better themselves. His biggest takeaway from his time as a coach is that life is too short, so don’t wait for someone else to do it for you - chase what you're passionate about and go have a crack. You'll meet good people along the way and make some lifelong connections. 

One of his highlights has been seeing the growth in four years of coaching the Greyhounds. They were playing in the Bs comp when he first started coaching, then after two years they moved up to As, and this year they made semi-finals. There are many hours put in by everyone involved, but it's well worth it to get the rewards. 

Kurt's advice for someone wanting to make an impact in their community is don't keep putting it off, and just get involved - every bit counts.