NAIDOC Week Visit at Banksia Hill

Each week, the Perth Football Club holds football clinics at the Banksia Hill Youth Dention Centre. These clinics are centred on using football to create relationships and help the youth who are spending this chapter of their life at Banskia prepare for the next chapter of their life.

As part of the Club's NAIDOC Week celebrations, several current and past players visited Banksia for a friendly game of footy, followed by a feed and a chat by the fire pit.

Thank you to following current and past players who joined CEO Marty Atkins and Talent Manager Trevor Screaigh at the NAIDOC Week visit:

• Zareth Roe
• Ethan Hansen
• Lennon Marlin
• Michael Bennell
• Che Wyatt
• Nyika John
• Domenic Roe (PFC Past Player)
• Daniel Hill (PFC Futures)
• Cal Walley – Ex PFC Aboriginal Education Officer (2017)
• Taran Etto – Ex PFC Aboriginal Education Officer (2018)

Working in partnership with Banksia Hill to enrich the young people is a core part of the Club's community work. Following the day, Banksia Hill sent through the following email to the Club. We would like to share this email as it is a credit to the Club, our players past and present, our supporters and, importantly, our partners and sponsors. Without your support, we wouldn't be able to engage with our local community in the ways we are currently able to.

Good afternoon Marty,

On behalf of the staff and in particular the young people at Banksia Hill, I just wish to extend our thanks for your club representation in the centre yesterday as part of our NAIDOC activities.

The players were very accommodating of their time, interaction and engagement on many levels throughout the morning and the feedback from the young people today has been very glowing and positive with many keen to share their interactions and emulate what they are achieving in life and at the Perth Football Club.

More so I am impressed at the level of personal of engagement that was achieved in the casual and relaxed fire pit outdoor setting with the players making themselves available despite it being a working day and or having other responsibilities to attend.

To you and also the Perth Football Club, thank you for your ongoing support and community partnership with the young people of Banksia Hill. Your club representatives demonstrated excellent ambassadorial responsibilities throughout providing personal insights to their own individual journey’s and positive role modelling and leadership throughout. They are a credit to your club, the WAFL and our community and we are most grateful that despite the diverse circumstance of young people in Banksia; they through their attendance demonstrated empathy and understanding and a willingness to contribute positively to their community to an often neglected and overlooked youth.

I wish to extend my sincere appreciation and express how grateful I am for the continued support of the Perth Football Club and the often unseen role you and your players undertake in the community. Additionally, please extend this acknowledgement on to the player representatives as they are thoroughly deserving.

As CEO of the club, you have been instrumental in this annual initiative and in your routine dealings have demonstrated a willingness to build strong inter-personal relationships with the young men and women in Banksia and through this there is significant trust and much respect afforded via your efforts in mentoring our youth. I am very proud of the partnership and relationship we have firmly established on a professional and personal level and I will work with you to continue to build this ongoing; in particular, the through-care opportunities assisting and supporting the young people at the crossroads of their lives beyond the environs of Banksia Hill.

We do look forward to the next opportunity to engage at a similar level with your club representative’s on any initiative deemed suitable and wish you and the club good luck for the rest of season 2019.

Well done and keep up the great work.

Sincerely,

Rpresentative  Banksia Hill | Corrective Services