The Old Ignatians' BBQ at Riverview is one of the OIU's most important fundraising activities. In 2025, thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, we raised over $30,000 — a fantastic result. Every dollar goes directly towards supporting key OIU initiatives. 

A big thank you to everyone who helped on the BBQ throughout 2025 — whether you covered a single shift at the Joeys game, helped at the Gold Cup Regatta in February, or turned up at First Field for one or more home rugby games. We truly appreciate all who gave their time to support the OIU. 

To help share the load in 2026, we're inviting members to express their interest in joining the OIU BBQ team as "Shift Captains". Our aim is to build a small team who can each manage the BBQ for a couple of hours on a Saturday, just two or three times across the season. By spreading the effort, our current BBQ Captains won't need to be there every week, from start to finish. 

The first BBQ for 2026 will be at the Gold Cup Regatta, on Saturday 14 February, located on the Riverview Wharf beside the finish line. During winter, there will be seven BBQs at First Field across two trial rugby matches and five home competition games. 

If you're interested in being a Shift Captain in 2026, please contact David McKay at david.mckay@oiu.org.au. 

The more the merrier — and the lighter the load! 

David McKay (OR1989) and Ben Frawley (OR1987) OIU BBQ Co-Captains