The participants were already on notice before they even arrived when they were advised by their chaperones that the day’s activities involved high levels of physical and mental exertion.
To ease into what was ahead of them, the “Live the Dreamers” were given an interesting behind the scenes tour of the base.
Later, the participants were taken out of their comfort zone with the plan to shock and awe them via a survival at sea training exercise. They were immersed in cold water, jumped from heights, and put through drills aimed at getting them to respect their team mates and understand each others limitations.
By midday the ‘Live the Dreamers’ had earned their lunch and experienced what it is like to eat like a sailor in a mess environment, including the mess rules and regulations they had to abide by.
The afternoon session was based on team work and leadership, including a tractor tyre lift and carry exercise which was physically challenging and required them to problem solve under pressure.
During the session, the participants discussed the key themes and appreciation of leadership and how they can be better improved through communication, confidence, honesty and listening.
The team building exercises also saw them experience a military-style personal training class which included the chance to handle dummy weapons in training and safety activities.
As a reward for their hard work, the group was taken out to the firing range where they all handled weapons and fired as many ‘rounds’ as possible to see who got the best score.
And to top off what was already and amazing experience, the participants were taken on a tour of the submarine HMAS Waller. They spoke to the submariners about life at sea and the jobs they perform onboard.
The day ended with the player mentors joining their protégés for dinner in the club’s boardroom with key Fremantle Football Club staff. They discussed their experiences and highlights to date while living the life of an AFL footballer thanks to the ‘Live the Dream’ program.
The BHP Billiton Iron Ore Live the Dream program is designed to develop teamwork and leadership skills, develop problem solving skills under pressure, provide participants with experiences that take them outside of their comfort zone and develop skills that participants can take back to their local community and pass onto their peers.
The 16 lucky participants were selected from a large range of nominations by a panel consisting of Fremantle Football Club staff and BHP Billiton Iron Ore staff. Nominations were sought through BHP Billiton Iron Ore, junior football clubs, the City of Fremantle, the Welcome to the AFL programme, or from Eastern States Partner Clubs of the Fremantle Football Club.
