Knights supporter, Tim McKell, his partner Zoe and two children Lanie and Cooper were granted the ultimate Knights experience when they visited Newcastle for the first time to attend a Knights game at Hunter Stadium.
Tim has fallen on hard times recently due to serious illness so the trip was a welcome break for the Brisbane based family.
The Newcastle Knights, H2 Hunter Hummers and NewFM joined forces to show the family a great time while in town.
Greg Hunt, Tim’s ex-boss, also played a major part in organising the once-in-a life-time experiences for the family.
Knowing Tim's passion for the Knights, Greg wanted to make the trip one the family would always remember.
The fun started when the family was picked up from Newcastle Airport.
Tim was surprised by Jarrod Mullen, who met the family and travelled with them back to Newcastle in a H2 Hunter stretch Hummer.
They then attended Knights training on Saturday and were given a personal tour of Knights headquarters at Mayfield Wests before meeting the players after the session and enjoying lunch with team.
One of the highlights for Tim was meeting Knights legend, Mark Sargent, who came to training especially to meet the massive Knights fan.
Years ago, Tim bought a genuine jersey worn by Sargent in 1989 and finally had the chance to get it personally signed by Sargent.
The McKell family then enjoyed the game on Sunday at Hunter Stadium after again being transported in style around Newcastle in a H2 Hunter Ferrari.
Greg enjoyed seeing a smile on Tim’s face and was thrilled to play a hand in providing the family with a chance to enjoy each others company.
“Tim’s the sort of guy that could be broke and have nothing but a shirt on his back, and he’d give it to you," Greg said.
“He’d go to the end of the world to help anyone and never complains about being ill.
He deals with everything every day and just continues on."
For Tim, watching the Knights train and meeting his favourite players was something he never imagined he’d experience.
“It was very cool. They are all really nice people and I hope to get down here more often,” he said.
Although the Knights were outdone in the game against Canberra, the result was no dampener on Tim’s incredible weekend.
The family thanked the Knights, his mate Greg and all who were involved in making the weekend away a long-lasting family memory.
"I can’t thank Greg enough. He’s gone out of his way to do what he has for us and I appreciate it very much,” Tim said.
