A powerful International Women’s Day initiative has come full circle for the Gold Coast Titans, with Lachlan Ilias and partner Regan Stephens delivering a meaningful contribution to Motherhood Village charity.
Titans' five-eighth Lachlan Ilias and his partner Regan Stephens visited the Gold Coast-based charity to present a cheque for $2,075, raised through the club’s initiative.
The visit, however, was about far more than just a donation.
Alongside the cheque, the pair delivered a second collection of gifts and essentials for mothers and babies, part of a club-wide effort that saw Titans staff and players come together to create thoughtful care packages.
The second lot of care packages come after NRLW player Jaime Chapman had previously delivered the first load of essentials.
Motherhood Village is a peer-led perinatal mental health charity providing free in-person support for mothers from pregnancy through to five years postpartum, and the contribution will directly help keep their vital services accessible.
“Our mums raise our families, they are our community,” founding director and CEO Tracey Tyley said.
“Looking after our mums means the world to us, and this support allows us to keep doing that.
"It goes directly to helping us keep our support groups free of charge for our mums to attend.
“It really makes a huge difference for us… we’re just so grateful.”
For Ilias, who is in his first season on the Gold Coast, the experience reinforced the club’s strong community focus.
“Being in a smaller city like the Gold Coast, it’s very community-based,” he said.
“Anywhere we can help out and do something like this, it means a lot.
"There’s a lot of boys in the Titans who are passionate about giving back.”
But it was Ilias partner, Regan and her personal connection that gave the moment even greater meaning.
“I’ll try without crying,” she said, before reflecting on why the cause resonated so deeply.
“I grew up with a single mother, she raised me.
"We didn’t have much at all, but she was a happy mum.
“That’s always stayed with me… being a child of a happy mother, not a perfect one, but a happy one.
“I would do this again and again (help Motherhood Village) in a heartbeat.”
Motherhood Village, founded by a local mother with lived experience of perinatal mental health challenges, has become a vital part of the Gold Coast community, delivering grassroots support to women who need it most.
Through initiatives like the International Women’s Day auction and the generosity of donations like the Titans, the club plays a role in ensuring those mothers receive the care and support they deserve.
It is a reminder that the club’s impact extends far beyond the field, and into the homes and lives of families across the region.
