ON TUESDAY, Melbourne visited the City of Casey on the first day of its 2017 Australia Post Community Camp.

The day started with a training session at Casey Fields, before the players split into groups and visited more than 20 schools.

It concluded in the afternoon with a ‘Festival of Footy’ at Carlisle Park in Cranbourne.

One group, featuring Jack Viney, Jayden Hunt, Alex Neal-Bullen and Billy Stretch started their afternoon with a visit to Marnebek School in Cranbourne East.

They conducted a clinic and held a question and answer session for students in years 10, 11 and 12.

The four players then moved to St Catherine’s Primary School in Berwick, holding a question and answer session with more than 80 students.

It was a great day for all involved, with the four players relishing the opportunity to get among the community.

Here are their thoughts on the day …

Jack Viney

“The first day was really good. We went to two schools – one was a special school and the other was a primary school, before we had a big ‘Festival of Footy’ clinic to finish the day, which went off really well. It’s been really good to branch out and visit different parts of the community and get amongst the kids. You remember as a kid when a player came to your school – it was a pretty big occasion and it sticks with you for life. For us, it mightn’t seem that big, but hopefully it has a big impact on the people we’re meeting.”

Jayden Hunt

“We started at a special school with year 10s to 12 and mostly did a classroom session, as it was pretty hot outside, although we did get out for a few handball drills. We spoke about leadership and reading, and got to know some of the students – and they got to know us a bit. It was really enjoyable. When we went to St Catherine’s Primary School, I was lucky enough to have two of my cousins there. I got to say ‘hi’ to them. It was Lauren’s birthday today. We had the year five kids and my cousin Nathan was in that group. We had a talk to them about leadership and Alex Neal-Bullen dominated that chat. He was really good and he got the kids talking about what it takes to be a leader and what they look up to. Somehow, I saw my little cheeky cousin, Lauren, sneak in. She’s in grade two, so I’m not sure how she got in. But it was good fun seeing them. Lauren’s actually a leap year baby, so she was born on February 29, but this year she’s celebrating it on the 28^th because it’s not a leap year, so it was great to see them.”

Alex Neal-Bullen

“It’s always a good day, this one. We got to a couple of schools and spoke to them about leadership and the character-building concept of school, and what that does outside of school and into the working life. You come across a variety of students – in their needs and ability – but it’s always interesting. I’m studying teaching, so I see this day as a bit of training to be honest. You put yourself in a school environment and almost become a teacher, so I really enjoy these opportunities.”

Billy Stretch

“We had a really busy, but enjoyable day. We started with a pretty solid training session at Casey Fields – it’s good to train and get out in the community. It was a great insight going to a special school – it was great to do a Q&A with them. We spoke about several things, including life skills and where it got us to today. We just wanted to try and put our story across to the kids, so hopefully they got something out of it. We also did a Q&A at St Catherine’s Primary School and got plenty out of that too. I really enjoy getting out in the community – you get a real kick out of it, particularly when you put a few smiles on the faces of kids and sign a few autographs for them. It was a very enjoyable day – it’s great for the club and the community. We’re looking forward to getting out in the Heartland on Wednesday.”