Two codes, one fight
Rugby league and rugby union have rallied around Jai Arrow and Nathan Charles following their MND diagnoses. Now Western Sydney can show its support at a charity gala at Club Marconi on 4 December.
5 min
Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow and former Wallabies hooker Nathan Charles were both diagnosed with motor neurone disease this year. Rugby league and rugby union have rallied behind them. On 4 December, Western Sydney gets its chance to do the same.
The first sign was a chin-up.
Last November, during pre-season training with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Jai Arrow found he couldn’t pull himself up to the bar — something he had done thousands of times.
Then his arm and shoulder began twitching, and his voice started to sound slightly nasal. He kept it to himself. He was 29, one of the fittest men in a demanding sport and an optimist by nature.
In January, his physio raised concerns about his speech. Nerve testing followed, and the next day the physio told him what he suspected.
After months of further testing and treatment, Arrow announced on 20 May 2026 that he was retiring from rugby league, effective immediately. Shortly afterwards, he spoke publicly about his diagnosis: motor neurone disease (MND), a progressive, incurable condition that gradually takes away the ability to move, speak and breathe.
A career built on effort
Arrow retired after 178 NRL games with the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and South Sydney Rabbitohs, along with 12 State of Origin appearances for Queensland.
His 2025 season may have been his best. He won the George Piggins Medal as Souths’ player of the year, the Bob McCarthy Clubperson of the Year award and the Souths Cares Award for his community work.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has described him as honest, genuine and hard-working — someone who puts family and team first.
Arrow has carried that determination into life after his diagnosis. He has said he wants to try “any trial, any medication” that could help, and hopes to inspire others who receive the same news.
A wedding in Sicily
This month, Arrow and his long-time partner, Berina Colakovic, celebrated their wedding in Sicily, where they became engaged in 2024.
On 10 October, 65 family and friends gathered at Borgo del Carato in the island’s south-east for a ceremony at the estate’s 19th-century farmhouse. Guests travelled from Australia and Canada, where Colakovic is from.
The bride wore a strapless gown, lace veil and Christian Dior heels before changing into a sequined halterneck by Australian label Dio Official for the reception. Arrow wore a cream dinner jacket and bow tie.
The night before, guests attended a mafia-themed rehearsal dinner. The couple had already married in a civil ceremony in Sydney in July; Sicily was the celebration.
Speaking to Vogue about their choice of location, Colakovic described its “almost timeless romance”. She said there was a moment on the day when she wished she “could stop time”.
The couple, who have a one-year-old daughter, Ayla, are honeymooning in Bodrum on Turkey’s Aegean coast.
Nathan Charles: a Wallaby who defied the odds
Nathan “Cheezy” Charles is used to defying expectations.
As a child with cystic fibrosis, he was given a prognosis suggesting he might not live past 11. He went on to become the first person with cystic fibrosis known to play a contact sport professionally.
The hooker played Super Rugby for the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels, had stints in England and France, and earned four Test caps for the Wallabies in 2015.
After retiring in 2018, he built a career off the field, serving as chief executive of Rugby WA and later taking on roles at Sydney University Football Club.
Earlier this year, he began experiencing symptoms that led him to a neurologist in March. His condition worsened through winter. On 13 September, after extensive testing, his diagnosis was confirmed: motor neurone disease. He is 37.
“My first question was, ‘How long have I got?’”
— Nathan Charles, speaking to Stan Sport
Charles has spoken candidly about the challenges he now faces. He describes the disease as “overwhelming” and “at times quite cruel”, with everyday tasks such as putting on shoes and socks becoming difficult.
He has said that, as far as he knows, there is no link to his cystic fibrosis, describing the second diagnosis as “absolute rotten luck”.
Above all, he worries about the impact on his family and his fiancée, Steph.
Two sports rally around their own
Rugby league moved quickly to support Arrow.
At Accor Stadium, he walked through a guard of honour formed by Rabbitohs and Broncos players and rang South Sydney’s Legacy Bell. Messages reading “Thank you Jai #1166” filled the ground, and players wore white-out jerseys.
Clubs including the Sea Eagles and Dragons held 50–50 raffles in his name, while the Leeds Rhinos raised funds on the other side of the world.
The NRL and the players’ association also approved two special appearances to allow Arrow to reach 100 games for South Sydney.
In Round 26, he led the Rabbitohs out against his former club, the Titans, at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, where he grew up. He played the opening seconds before leaving the field.
The “Stand with Jai” weekend raised more than $325,000. Sales of a limited-edition jersey brought in more than $130,000, with all proceeds going to the official Family of League fundraiser. A luncheon at his junior club, the Burleigh Bears, raised about $100,000 for MND Queensland.
“Jai’s courageous fight is both humbling and inspiring.”
— Steve Mitchell, Gold Coast Titans CEO
Rugby union has rallied around Charles, too.
Family and friends established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his care, respiratory equipment and home modifications. It has raised more than $170,000.
Charles visited the Wallabies before their Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park. Captain Harry Wilson said he was “joking with the boys” and that it was “great to have him around the group”.
At this year’s NRL Grand Final, the two codes came together to honour Charles and Arrow side by side.
Western Sydney’s turn
On Friday 4 December, the Marconi Mustangs will host a Charity Gala Night for Jai Arrow and Nathan Charles at Doltone House Western Sydney, Club Marconi, in partnership with Kanebridge Finance.
Proceeds will support MND Australia, the national peak body working for people living with motor neurone disease and supporting research towards a cure.
The black-tie evening will feature entertainment and a live auction, with Arrow attending in person.
More than 37 tables have already been sold, and bookings remain open.
Be part of the night
Charity Gala Night for Jai Arrow and Nathan Charles
- When: Friday 4 December 2026, from 7pm
- Where: Doltone House Western Sydney at Club Marconi, 121–133 Prairie Vale Road, Bossley Park NSW
- Dress code: Black tie
- Tickets: $150 per person or $1,500 for a table of 10
- Supporting: MND Australia
- Presented by: Marconi Mustangs, in partnership with Kanebridge Finance
Become a sponsor
Businesses can support the night through one of three sponsorship packages, with opportunities for recognition among an expected audience of more than 400 guests from rugby league, rugby union and the Western Sydney business community.
Bronze sponsorship — $3,000
- One table of 10
- Business name and logo on the TryBooking page
Silver sponsorship — $6,000
- One table of 10
- Business name and logo on the TryBooking page
- Social media recognition
- MC acknowledgement
- Promotional material at the event
Gold sponsorship — $9,000
- Two tables of 10 with premium placement
- Major logo placement on the official poster
- Social media recognition
- MC acknowledgement
- Promotional material and gifts
To become a sponsor, contact Domenic Polistina on 0418 460 696, or select a sponsorship package at checkout on the TryBooking page.
Whether you book a seat, bring a table or become a sponsor, you’ll be standing with two men who have given their sports everything — and supporting the wider fight against MND.
Sponsorship places are limited. Book early to be part of the night.
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A new study models a potential $80.6 billion lift in Australian GDP after a decade, as national testing shows a decline in Year 10 digital literacy.
2 min
Australia trails Singapore and Malta in a new Commonwealth index, while national testing shows fewer than four in 10 Year 10 students meet the standard for digital literacy.
Australia has ranked third among 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness, with researchers estimating that artificial intelligence could lift the level of Australian GDP by $80.6 billion after a decade under their middle scenario.
The Ayre Think Tank released the index at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Australia scored 71 out of 100, behind Singapore on 77.6 and Malta on 75. The United Kingdom followed closely on 70.8, with Canada fifth on 70.2. Only 15 countries reached the study’s benchmark of 53.
What the $80.6 billion figure measures
The researchers applied International Monetary Fund estimates for broad groups of economies to Australia’s 2025 GDP. The resulting scenarios put the potential lift in Australian GDP after 10 years at between $40.9 billion and $120.3 billion, with $80.6 billion representing the midpoint.
The figures describe how much larger the economy could be at the end of the period under each scenario. They represent a change in the level of GDP in year 10.
Digital literacy falls as schools roll out AI tools
Australia scored 8.7 out of 10 for access to technology and 7.5 for digital, data, media and AI capability. Separate national testing found that 37 per cent of Year 10 students met the proficient standard for information and communications technology literacy in 2025, down from 46 per cent in 2022. About one in 10 students reported receiving substantial teaching on AI-related tasks. National assessment results
The report points to two state initiatives aimed at building those skills. Queensland began rolling out an AI education platform in state schools in 2026, while Victoria introduced free specialist training for workers looking to develop AI skills or move into related roles.
The index draws on 1,128 sources and examines the conditions facing people aged 15 to 29, including access to technology, education and pathways into work. Australia had usable data for 76 of the 102 indicators used in the rankings. The researchers found too little comparable evidence to score an eighth area covering critical judgement and people’s ability to exercise control over AI systems.
Professor C. Justin Robinson, campus principal of the University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, said young people should be equipped to question and improve AI tools and supported in building alternatives suited to their needs.
The report calls for affordable access to technology, more practical education and stronger links between training, employment and entrepreneurship. It also urges governments and educators to support AI tools suited to local languages and give young people ways to challenge automated decisions.
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