It's been a rocky 18 months for Tathra, but it seems the resilient seaside town keeps going from strength to strength.
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On Saturday night, the Tathra Sea Eagles Rugby League Football Club was announced as the Country Rugby League Club of the Year for 2019.
The prestigious award was presented to club president Peter Finucane and secretary David Porter at the CRL Community Awards ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Potts Point, Sydney.
In 2018, Tathra's seniors had just re-joined the Group 16 competition for the first time in four years with a reserve grade and league tag team.
Just as the competition was about to commence, the town was devastated by a major bushfire that destroyed more than 70 homes and was declared a national emergency.
Amazingly, the community gained strength from the bushfire that saw the junior and senior rugby league clubs unite.
As the 2019 season approached and the town was starting to rebuild, there was an influx of construction and trade jobs that boosted employment in the Tathra area. This enabled many young people that had moved away to return home because they were able to find work, many reconstructing their own families' homes.
This allowed Tathra to field first grade, reserve grade and league tag teams this season.
In 2019, the junior club proudly boasts a team in every male and female age group, despite the town having fewer than 1500 residents.