Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy staff including NGA coach Tendai Mzungu, Indigenous liaison officer Michael Johnson and NGA manager Darryn Fry have wrapped up their trip to the Kimberley this week.
The Kimberley is one of the regional allocations for Fremantle’s NGA, where the NGA aims to identify and develop young talent in the region.
Mzungu re-caps the final two days of their trip below.
Click here for Tendai’s diary from Day 3
Wednesday 19 June
We attended the Big River Cup, a Clontarf football carnival which hosts year 7-9 students across six academies (Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and a Karratha Team from the Pilbara region).
The carnival was a competitive one with three games being decided by one point, but the highlights of the day was seeing Michael Johnson pull on the jumper for an undermanned Karratha outfit.
Johnno’s three running bounces down the wing and a lace out kick into the forward 50 had tongues wagging around the town oval.
The hotly contested tug of war tournament was taken out by the Broome Academy, while Darryn, Michael and I umpired the grand final between Broome and Kununurra.
After an even first half, Kununurra ran away with the game and go through the carnival as an undefeated team.
Following the carnival Darryn and Michael headed out to Geike Gorge with the Karratha Academy, before returning to the main oval to run a football session for 15 girls from the Muludja Lions.
At the end of the session Johnno donated a bag full of his gear to the Dockers girls.
I broke off from the other two earlier in the afternoon and headed out with the Broome Academy students along with staff members, Fallsy, Fanta and Gus, to a camp site 90mins out of Fitzroy Crossing.
We rolled out our swags (which Fallsy luckily assisted me with) and began the evening events of collecting fire wood and prepping for dinner. It was great to see the boys and staff so at home under the stars and provided a chance for everyone to bond in a relaxed and picturesque setting.
After the students cooked a delicious curry, we sat around the fire and spoke about what we were grateful for during the day. I spoke about my appreciation in being welcomed into their ‘mob’ as the boys called it, and to live an experience that I’ll cherish for a long long time.
We concluded the night with the roasting of marshmallows over the fire, which gave the boys just enough sugar to fuel a late surge of mayhem.
Once the noise and the fire died down in unison, it was time to retire for the evening and reflect on what an incredible and fulfilling week it has been so far.
Thursday 20 June
My 4:30am alarm went off to the tune of kids chatting and laughing.
I still hadn’t showered since after the carnival and was looking forward to our journey to Tunnel Creek, a 20min drive from the camp site.
There I would submerge myself in the water and scrub my body back to a hygienic state.
One thing I discovered about Tunnel Creek, after committing to the experience, was that there were fresh water crocodiles who resided in the very stream of water I was required to wade through in order to make it through to the end of the tunnel.
Not too much phases me in life, but crocs do... A lot!
After making hard work of packing away my swag and sleeping bag, it was time to hit the red dirt and face my fears. We arrived at 630am, beating the tourist rush.
Much to my delight, it had been a dry, wet season and the creek was drier than expected. This meant less wading and more walking.
As we entered the cave and the students began powering ahead, I hung back to take photos and admire the beauty of the caves structure. The sharp edges of the overhanging rocks and the contrast from dark to light made for a nice distraction from what lay ahead.
I navigated the first water crossing, which barely climbed past my ankles, with my torch lighting the way. Fast forward a 100-metres and I could hear some commotion and torches shining towards the rocks edge.
Sure enough a pair of eyes, shone just above the waters floor. The fearless students showed no sign of panic and began walking through the knee-deep water to get to dry land.
I shadowed young Tyrell, ready to throw him into the path of the croc if he became disturbed. Luckily for Tyrell, he wasn’t bothered by our presence and let us be.
Eventually we made it back to Broome where we would unpack the car and say our goodbyes. I already look forward to seeing the boys again later in the year.
I finally had my first shower in 34hrs at one of the Clontarf staff members house on the way through to the airport. There I met up with Darryn and Michael, who had earlier attended the Dockers Shield back at Fitzroy Crossing.
The carnival consisted of 7 schools from remote communities ranging from 30km to 2.5hrs out of town. The boys mingled in with the kids and staff, whilst also getting amongst the umpiring.
It is great to see carnivals set up to provide opportunities for young boys and girls who live in such remote communities.
There was one last treat in store before we concluded our trip.
Our good friend and ever reliable teammate Luke McPharlin, who now resides up in Broome, popped into the airport for a visit with the family.
We handed over the remaining football boots and footballs for the Youth Centre in which he is offering up his time to visit the following week.
He still looks fit enough to play and has helped up with some coaching during the year but assures me that his calves wouldn’t handle another game of football and that he will add his boots to the giveaway collection.
After 5 days and well over 1000kms on the road, it was home time for the 3 of us.
It has been an exhausting but utterly rewarding week in which we engaged with well over 500 kids across the Kimberley region.
We couldn’t have done it without the support and guidance from Clontarf, Garnduwa, KFA, WAFC and the wonderful staff and students that made the week so worthwhile.
