It seems like an eternity that I had the privilege to travel to central Australia and visit some of our most remote indigenous communities together with the Have a Ball Foundation. Unfortunately the general busyness of life tends to prevent us from doing things that can really have a profound impact on what we think and feel, however this was one of those moments for me.
With Australian states in varying degrees of lockdown and domestic travel limited I feel myself yearning to get back to these parts of the country, the 'real' Australia. The trip itself was filled with so many highlights. The landscape, the sunsets, the milky way at night, sleeping under the stars and of course meeting some amazing people doing incredible things.
But it was the little things that really stood out....such as the entrance to the small community of Imanpa where the car bonnets painted in colourful indigenous artwork stand like sentinels over the red landscape. And the tiny community of Wallace Rockhole which would have to be one of the tidiest towns I had ever seen, whose local principle was so grateful for the ball donation that she wanted to store them in the lead up to Christmas, then wrap them all during the evening before the last day of school so that she could give every student something for Christmas - because normally they don't receive anything.
Since starting up a number of years ago, the Have a Ball Foundation has co-ordinated the donation and delivery of over 50,000 balls and other sporting equipment to remote central Australian communities.
It has done so with the generous support of many Victorian schools who encourage their students to bring from home spare balls which no longer get used.
If you'd like to learn more about this fantastic foundation and the great work it is doing, visit www.haveaball.org.au
Comments