AS PART of Melbourne’s trip to Alice Springs, the club visited the Ltyentye Apurte Community, Santa Teresa, an Arrente Indigenous community, located about 80 km south-east of Alice Springs.

Young players Declan Keilty and Dion Johnstone, plus members of Melbourne’s staff, representing the club’s Cultural Immersion Program, held a footy clinic and helped spread the message about ‘clean faces, strong eyes’ in relation to the trachoma campaign.

The program was all about integrating the club into the Alice Springs community and its surrounding area, as it continues to build and strengthen its ties with the Northern Territory.

On Thursday evening, several Melbourne staff members headed out past Santa Teresa with several locals, who hosted the group to a memorable night, which included local cooking and the tasting of kangaroo tails.

The group camped in stunning outback surroundings, around an open fire and slept under the stars in swags. It was an amazing experience that the staff from Melbourne relished and appreciated immensely.

Here are the thoughts from the Melbourne staff members …

Matthew Whelan (Indigenous project officer)

What struck me first was the isolation of the Santa Teresa community, but when you come into the town and you see wild horses running in a pack, it just opened my eyes to how different the NT is to Victoria. Seeing the dirt oval was something I had only seen on TV, but was excited to see in person. The fact that Jim Stynes helped open the oval years ago added significance to it.

Declan Adams (Acquisition and retention executive – membership)

It was fantastic to see the culture, language and sense of connection to the land – it was well and truly alive in Santa Teresa. It was easy to see the joy that football brings to this community. It was a great reminder of the positive impact sport can have.

Kelly Bembridge (Human resource manager)

It was great to have the privilege of meeting, befriending, learning, remembering and being a greater part of this country. I've met the warmest of people, ate the most genuine of meals, connected with a world I'd forgotten, slept under a billion stars and kicked a footy with kids on red sand with immense skills. To say this was an experience is an understatement – this was living at its best and most pure.

Stefan Cardamone (Digital video producer)

The busy life of football was put on hold as the team spent an evening in tranquillity in Santa Teresa, reflecting on the importance of the rich Indigenous culture of Australia. Sharing stories, laughing around the fire and even trying some kangaroo tail for dinner were some of the highlights. There wasn't a cloud in sky as we listened to stories whilst watching the flickering flame, which kept us warm for the night. The noise of a busy society, Facebook notifications, emails, text messages were all erased for the night. It was a simple experience, but it's that simplicity which made it so incredibly enjoyable. I could think of no better way to bond with fellow colleagues.

Ryan Earles (Digital marketing manager)

Spending the night at a remote campsite with some future Elders and leaders of the Santa Teresa community was an amazing life experience. Andrew (known as ‘Banjo’), Shane and Donovan were the three future Elders looking after us for the evening and after an amazing meal, which included a tasting of kangaroo tail, stories and laughs began, as we rolled out the swags by the fire and settled in for the night. Banjo laid their cuddling his six-year-old son Jedediah and spoke to the group of his sadness about feeling like his culture is slipping away. That moment hit me like none other on this trip and made me even more grateful for this experience, and particularly thankful to the future Elders for taking the time to share their amazing culture with us. 

Brooklyn Fraser (Sales executive)

From the moment we touched down in Alice, we were welcomed with open arms. While the beauty and picturesque backgrounds were a highlight, it was the people we met who really made the trip. As we drove into Santa Teresa, we were surprised when we had to quickly put on the brakes as a band of brumbies dashed across the road. We drove on and arrived to see an incredible red dirt footy oval with the most amazing views. The kids’ clinic was a highlight. It was the perfect example of how football can make an impact in the community. The smiles and laughter were not just from the kids, but the staff too – it was an afternoon I won't forget. When we arrived in Santa Teresa, we knew we were going to be camping and hearing stories, but what we didn't know was how accommodating and generous the people were going to be. Banjo and his beautiful family, along with Shane and Donovan, went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. We got to see how they cooked kangaroo tail – and we tried some – and then enjoyed a delicious stew, before gathering around the campfire with a cup of tea to hear stories from our fantastic hosts about their culture. Falling asleep to a sky full of stars after a day of incredible experiences and meeting the most generous people, really was the cherry on top of a wonderful day. I'm very grateful that the club has invested in cultural awareness and allowed staff to experience something so special and important.

Jimmie Martin (IT manager)

The openness with which the Santa Teresa community welcomed us struck me at first. After spending more time with them, it was clear this is normal for them – they are a proud community that wanted to welcome in everyone and share their history. My experience with all Arrernte people of Central Australia reflected this on this trip.