We took the drive out of Kununurra to Warmun (Turkey Creek). This is an Aboriginal Community of about 600 people.

Among others I got to meet 2 local boys who were back in the community for the school holidays. They both attend High school in Darwin – as nearly everyone in the Kimberley seems to do – and were stoked to be back home for a few days. There was something a bit surreal about these boys telling me that the most important issue facing the world was the fighting in Iraq. We are so far from Iraq it wasn’t funny.

We kicked the footy, and they explained their dream to play for either the West Coast Eagles or the North Melbourne Kangaroos. That was their biggest and only dream, and they weren’t wavering from it. The reach of footy is incredible - it goes everywhere.

I tried to convince the lads that my burgeoning AFL career was cut short only because of a debilitating knee injury. For some reason they didn’t believe me.

I also met the CEO and the local principal, who took turns in explaining to me the difficulty in keeping a community like Warmun running smoothly with minimal health assistance and growing issues for their young people.

By afternoon we made it down to Halls Creek. We checked out the local youth centre and the sports grounds. Things are happening in Halls Creek, with Croc Fest being held there in August and the local swimming pool FINALLY being built (everyone we met said that it has been 20 years in the coming). Everyone is just waiting to see how ‘no school no pool’ goes down.

The favourite past-time of young men in the Kimberley is playing footy. Whenever I asked what the young ladies do for kicks, the answer given is always – “watch the boys playing footy.” So you can imagine the excitement of the young ladies with the advent of the first Netball clinics, AND the first dancing group.

I was privileged to be shown the very first performance of the Halls Creek dance group at Caroline Pool (a currently dry creek-bed about 10 km out of Halls Creek). Something for them to do, and feel proud about. This can only be good!