The temperature soars into the high 30s in the Gulf of Carpentaria community of Borroloola, but the heat doesn’t stop the enthusiasm of the locals for chasing a footy.
There was great excitement recently when QBE Sydney Swans Academy member, Rory Barkley, arrived in Borroloola with a swag full of Swans jumpers and footballs donated by the Academy as gifts for the local community.
AFL football is very important to the remote community, and Rory said that Borroloola youngster, Will, donned his Swans jumper and didn’t want to ever take it off.
Will, aged around 9, is an orphan who is cared for by different people in the community.
Rory, 17, spent two weeks in the July school holidays at Borroloola, about 1000 kilometres east of Darwin in the Gulf of Carpentaria, taking part in an immersion program organised by his Sydney school, Riverview.
Rory said it was an amazing experience, where he learnt much about indigenous culture and the complex issues in remote communities, and much about himself.
“The people there are deprived of so many things, but they didn’t want our help, they just want us to understand and they want to take part,’’ Rory said.
“I learnt a lot about how to deal with pressure and making mistakes, and how to stay positive.’’
Rory said the young kids and the men in Borroloola have an insatiable appetite for football.
“It’s uncontrollable how much they love footy. We played twice a day, every day, for the two and a half weeks we were there. In the morning we’d play on a small oval with the kids, and in the afternoon we’d have another session with the adults on a full size oval,’’ he said.
The Riverview students had no phones or connection to the world beyond Borroloola, and spent their time getting to know the locals, taking trips to nearby islands, and having a few close encounters with crocodiles and snakes.
“One night we had to camp near the river, and some tourists had been feeding crocodiles there,’’ Rory said. “So the crocodiles came up onto the banks looking for food, and we had to take shifts all night to keep a lookout for them. The closest one came within about 20 metres of us.’’
Rory, who is in Year 11 at school, is in the Under 17 QBE Sydney Swans Academy squad and plays for the North Shore Bombers.
Will, in his new Sydney Swans guernsey, pictured with academy member Rory Barkley in Borroloola.
