The Rugby Family in Australia is small and connected.  In late July we received the awful news that Conor Tweedy, the son of the Moore Family’s (Rick 3rd Colts Coach, and SUFC Players Declan and Aidan) old friends Rebecca and Sean Tweedy, had suffered a tragic accident playing rugby for St Josephs College Gregory Terrace 2nd XV in Brisbane GPS competition.  Rebecca went through physiotherapy with Lynne Moore and Sean who Lynne Moore knew from school days also played rugby for both UQ and Queensland  Reds in 1990.The actual circumstances are explained below in an extract from an open letter from the Tweedy family’s good friend Bruce Muirhead..

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I received the message below from Sean this morning. As you may be aware, Sean and Bec’s son Conor sustained a catastrophic rugby injury on 21 July. A scrum collapse caused a fracture dislocation and spinal cord injury at C4-C5, resulting in weakness and/or paralysis of the muscles in arms and legs as well as those required for breathing.

 Sean and Bec are lifelong friends. These are challenging times. On the positive, Conor is in good hands for the remainder of his life. Sean is an expert on para sport classification and Bec a musculoskeletal Physiotherapist. However, the best management and optimal outcomes will require significant funding for equipment, therapy, and personal support. Here’s Tweed’s message:

 “Thanks so much for support so far. As you know, currently best advice is that Conor’s recovery is going to play out over 9-18mnths and the finish is completely uncertain. One possibility is that his muscle function doesn’t improve from where he is, in which case he will be in an electric wheelchair; another possibility is that his body recovers well and he will eventually be able to walk. Conor’s biggest asset is arguably his attitude – even at this early stage his stated intention is to return to competitive sport, regardless of his physical outcome.

 If Conor ends up with significant, permanent disability, his ability to live the best life possible will depend hugely on being able to access the best technical aids, therapy and personal support. And with science advancing all the time, we want to be in a financial position to take advantage of any breakthroughs. It’s for this reason we have established a trust in Conor’s name, so that anyone who wishes to help out financially can make a tax deductible donation at the following site – https://conortweedy.com/take-action/.

 Could I please ask you to consider making a donation and circulate to anyone you think might be inclined to donate? Asking for support like this doesn’t come easily or naturally for us, but Conor is our boy and, as we cannot take away the tough journey that’s in front of him, we want to do everything we can to help him be as good as he can be. Thanks, Sean & Bec”

Please support Conor on his journey to recovery.