FIVE lucky Indigenous children from the Hermannsburg community in central Australia were treated to a memorable experience at North this week as part of their journey south of the country.
The boys, Ricco, Gideon, Norman, Naphtalie and Ashley, were selected for the trip as a reward for their behaviour, including their impressive school attendance rates and involvement in the NT Thunder football program.
Accompanied by AFL NT regional development manager Scott Grigg, they left Alice Springs at 3am last Thursday, stopping every three hours for meals before arriving in Adelaide at 7pm later that evening.
Memories of the arduous 16-hour road trip quickly faded when they spent a day with the Roos and watched the players train.
The five young boys are talented football players themselves, having each been selected in the Central Australia under-12 or under-13 representative sides.
They met several North players and coaches, and posed for photos with their favourite stars, including forward Drew Petrie and Indigenous idols Daniel Wells and Lindsay Thomas.
Grigg said the quality time the kids spent with Thomas, in particular, ranked as one of the high points of the visit.
“He (Thomas) went far and beyond expectations, not only spending his own time with us, but just the way he respected the boys and chatted with them and shared stories,” Grigg told NMFC.com.au this week.
“And then he offered to catch up later in their stay in a nearby park for a kick (of the football).
“His level of engagement was a highlight.”
Thomas is no stranger to helping others, especially those from Indigenous backgrounds, and uses his status as an AFL player to reconnect with his Aboriginal roots.
Grigg said Thomas offered each of the boys some invaluable advice along the way.
“He really focused on them finishing their schooling, (he told them) how important education is (and how it’s) aligned with football, because without that, most people tend to struggle,” he said.
“He emphasised the facts for them to stick at it at school and make sure they finish as high as they can.”
The youngsters had lunch with the likes of Thomas, Aaron Black, Joel Tippett and assistant coach Leigh Tudor, while learning about the importance of sports nutrition and how to best fuel the body when playing sport.
During their stay in Melbourne, the kids visited the beach for the first time, spent time on a dairy farm, and will go to the upcoming Boxing Day cricket Test and watch an A-League soccer match.
The Hermannsburg community, located about one hour out of Alice Springs, has a population of about 600 residents and the main language spoken is Arrernte followed by English.
