Tigers give Outback kids shot at dream
Glenn McFarlane | June 28, 2009
FOR Richard Tambling the simple images reminded him so much of the freedom and spirit of his childhood.
In a strangely modern form of Dreamtime, kids in bare feet and as young as three were booting footballs in the red dust against the spectacular backdrop of a remote Northern Territory community.
It's almost a rite of passage for indigenous children and it's something Tambling and the Richmond Football Club are keen to channel further as they seek to make more of a difference in the coming years.
Tambling, teammate and former Territorian Joel Bowden, and Tigers chief executive Steven Wright spent four days last week visiting several schools and remote communities in and around Alice Springs as part of their commitment to the region.
Richmond will further formalise its commitment when the redevelopment of Punt Rd - to be completed by the end of next year - includes an Indigenous Institute that could prove every bit as important as the club's new state-of-the-art gymnasium.
"The club obviously wants to give a fair bit back to the community, and that includes the indigenous community, which is something it can be very proud of," Tambling said this week after his fourth visit to his former home state under the Richmond banner.
"Our affiliation is Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. We have been to Alice Springs a few times and we hope to go to Tennant Creek in October.
"They weren't too sure how to take the Richmond Football Club when we first went up there because we told them we were going to do all these amazing things.
"They didn't believe we would go through with it because there have been a number of clubs from different codes go up there for a day and leave without making a statement in the community. But we've been back, and we will keep going back there."
Tambling said it was a visit to the small community of Papunya, about 250km northwest of Alice Springs, that impacted on him the most.
"The kids are just so thankful," he said. "They respect you before they even know who you are.
"All they want to do is kick the footy around and play some games. They are running around barefoot on the red dirt, and on the concrete basketball courts, falling over and getting back up to kick the footy."
In many ways, it took Tambling back to what life was for him when he was growing up, away from the piercing eye of AFL football, in the small community of
15 Mile camp, 40km outside of Darwin.
Tambling and the Tigers want kids to experience not only the chance to play sport at the elite level, but also to keep the dreams alive of a better and healthier lifestyle.
This is twofold. Firstly, the club wants to expand its role of travelling north and visiting the communities large and small.
There is even the prospect of the club having a full-time staffer in the NT and club sponsor Dick Smith could invest in some new technology to the remote communities.
Secondly, it intends to bring some of those children to Melbourne to spend time at the Indigenous Institute when it opens at Punt Rd.
"We want to tell them our stories because some of these kids give up hope before they have even looked for anything," Tambling said.
"We want to teach the kids to become leaders in their own communities. Hopefully we can teach them about healthy lifestyle and provide rewards for their school attendance."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25699374-19742,00.html
