Tamborine Mountain Bushrats will head into the 2026 season under new leadership, following the appointment of former secretary Maxine Milner as club president.
Milner has been involved with the Bushrats since childhood, watching her father play in the senior men’s side and later supporting the club through volunteering and managing teams.
“It’s a big part of my childhood and my life on the Mountain,” she said.
“Dad played in the men’s team and my brother played juniors and then seniors when the club came back.”
Milner said taking over from outgoing president Alick Kilsby, who restarted the club after it previously folded, would be a big task.
“It’s daunting but exciting at the same time,” she said.
“I’m the first female to step into the role in the club’s history, which is exciting – it’s also a lot more work than I did last season.”
Milner said 2026 would focus on recruitment, boosting junior numbers and refreshing the club’s look.
“It would be really good to actually fill the age group teams instead of merging like we’ve had to do a couple of years in the past,” she said.
“We’re trying to get numbers back up, more fundraising and getting our name out there a bit more so we’re more visible within the community.”
She said the club planned a “full change of design of polos and jerseys” while also confirming the Bushrats would field a senior men’s side in 2026.
“We’ll be looking to get numbers up across the whole club, including the senior men’s team,” she said.
“We would love locals from the mountain to come down and have a run for the Bushrats.”
Milner said she was looking forward to the season starting after the pre-season administrative workload.
“The pre-season stuff is the hard push, figuring out round dates and signing on players, but once the season starts we roll straight on,” she said.
“I’m so excited for the season to get started.”
