Kimberley Connected program kicking goals at Cable Beach

More than 400 Indigenous students from across the Kimberley region have descended on Cable Beach to play in an under 9’s Australian Football League carnival and celebrate their completion of the Kimberley Connected program.

The Kimberley Connected program creates positive youth engagement opportunities with schools and WA Police to tackle the decline in school attendance and the increase in antisocial behaviour and youth crime across the region.

The impact of the program has been wide ranging from the power of partnerships to better school attendance to stronger information sharing with police to students celebrating their achievements.

The program, which is delivered by the Purple Hands Foundation and Fremantle Dockers Football Club, services participating schools in the Kimberley region who can engage in the program for free.

Fremantle Dockers Head of Community Engagement, Simon Eastaugh, said the Kimberley Connected program has seen significant growth since it began from a concept discussion in early 2021 to now engaging more than 900 students across the region.

‘The power of partnerships has brought this program to life with WA Police, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, Department of Education, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, Garnduwa and the West Australian Football Commission working together to make it possible,’ Simon said.

‘This collaboration allows us to tackle the key social and health issues remote Aboriginal communities face, by using the platform of Australian Rules Football and the Fremantle Dockers to engage with local children and youth.’

The Cable Beach Carnival is part of the program and has seen primary and secondary schools take part in workshops that encourage students to attend school, connect to country, eat well and engage with locally based Police to build positive relationships with them.

The Carnival is the culmination of all the work put into the Kimberley Connected program and is a reward for students who have attended workshops and been a positive role model for their school and community.

Fremantle Dockers players Josh Corbett, Conrad Williams and Mikayla Morrison attended the event, with Corbett highlighting how special it was to be involved.

‘It’s been fantastic to have Mikayla Morrison and Conrad Williams up here with me. I think both their arms will be pretty sore from signing autographs,’ Corbett said.

‘I think Conrad being from up this way made it really enjoyable and a lot of the kids can see a pathway for people up around here with the likes of himself and Bailey Banfield.’

Another exciting part of the carnival included a partnership between the students, Purple Hand Foundation and the WA Good Food Guide.

In the lead up to the Carnival, remote students were asked to design a menu using local and native ingredients as part of their Kimberley Connected program.

The schools sent the menus to three top WA chefs including Scott Bridger from Bib and Tucker, Rohan Park from Old Young’s and Stephen Watson from Heyder and Shears, who delivered a chef-prepared meal with ingredients inspired by the Kimberley students.

The dinner was held under the stars on Cable Beach.