Vol. 19 No. 32
FREE PUBLICATION
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Australian Editorial Award 2016
Dogs delight BY SARAH SCULLY
T
he Wimmera caught Western Bulldogs fever this week as players and coaches descended on the region to strengthen links between Australian Rules Football and the community.
SMILE: Western Bulldogs premiership coach Luke Beveridge meets young Doggies fan Edward ‘E.J.’ Jackson at Horsham City Oval yesterday morning. Coaches and players took the opportunity to meet fans, pose for photos and sign autographs at an open training session. For more on club’s the visit, see pages 13 and 50. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
IN THIS ISSUE
Members of the reigning premiership outfit embarked on an activity-packed itinerary in an attempt to reach as many members of the community as possible during the two-day camp. Players visited Horsham locations including Wimmera Base Hospital, Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative, Karkana Support Services and kindergartens on Monday. Midfielder Mitch Wallis, who ran a series of hands-on activities at Karkana with several other players, said participating in AFL community camps was a highlight of his role with the club. “I love interacting with the community,” he said. “Obviously football means a lot to a lot of Victorians. We get a lot out of visiting people in country towns because they love you coming and they love talking about footy. There’s a few Bulldogs supporters here – it’s good to see we’ve reached as far as Horsham.” Wallis said he enjoyed meeting a broad cross-section of communities he visited. “We do a lot of primary school and junior club visits, but it’s just as important to get to facilities such as Karkana and aged-care centres, because football involves young, old, male and female now with the new league,” he said. “As many people as we can reach out to, the better.” Wallis said it was a privilege to be in a position to put smiles on so many faces. “It’s great to see everyone so happy and excited to see us,” he said. “When we leave here we want to leave an impression they’re going to remember. Hopefully we can do that.” The Bulldogs also visited primary schools and Wimmera and Horsham District league clubs and led a well-attended open training session at Horsham City Oval yesterday morning, followed by opportunities for photographs and autographs. AFL Wimmera Mallee football development manager Jason Muldoon said the camp was a great success. “The boys have been fantastic,” he said. “They’ve been really accommodating and soaked up the atmosphere.” Mr Muldoon said schools at Natimuk, Dimboola and Murtoa were among those chosen to host players. “It’s such a thrill for the smaller schools to have players come to interact with them,” he said. Mr Muldoon said it was a win for the region to host another camp in 2017 on the back of Collingwood’s visit to Ararat in 2016. “We appreciate the clubs coming to our area and embrace every opportunity we get,” he said.
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