Kintore Pool Creates an Oasis in the Desert (25-Feb-08)

Living 530 kilometres west of Alice Springs at the base of Pulikatjara (‘two hills’), the residents of Walungurru (Kintore) would need to travel far and wide to find a way to cool off in the desert heat. That is, they used to. On Friday, February 1st, what seemed like the majority of Kintore’s 500-strong population marked the grand opening of their new swimming pool, along with a throng of supporters.

Red Dust Role Models joined in the celebrations, which included a barbecue, speeches and the ‘official opening’ of the pool by Hettie Perkins, author and curator of indigenous art at The Art Gallery of NSW. Construction of the pool was largely funded by the auction of local art, with additional funding from the Kintore store, the Federal Government and assistance from Red Dust Role Models, through the generosity of The Shane Warne Foundation and contributions from Philips Australia.

Representing Red Dust was National Operations Manager Darren Smith, Melbourne Tigers and Western Bulldogs trainer Daniel Lynch, Paul Nelson and Jerri Nelson – a small but formidable team that spent the earlier part of that week working with the kids in their first days back at school.

The group packed their few days in Kintore with a wide variety of activities, starting with the clean-up of a run-down house earmarked for use as a youth drop-in centre. All who pitched in were pleased with the significant improvement made by the team effort of locals and Red Dust mob.

The team then spent a couple of days in the primary school, leading activities centred on the importance of healthy eating and good nutrition. The kids enjoyed trying some of the different foods the team prepared, with some of them experiencing certain foods for the first time. After school, the team spent time at the ‘Green Shed’, where the kids can hang out and participate in activities including soccer, basketball, trampoline and arts & crafts. Daniel’s sports training skills were put to good use when the guys accepted an invitation to help train with the Kintore Hawks football team. ‘Lynchy’ put the team through drills and skill development routines and by the end of training the Red Dust guys were asked to play in the weekend game against the Papunya Mob!

Friday couldn’t come around soon enough, with everyone seeking relief from the 43-degree heat. The anticipation had been building in the community throughout the weeks leading up to the opening, and many people from surrounding areas came to town to be part of the action. Once the formalities were completed and the gates were opened, the crowd poured into pool area and within minutes the water was filled with about 70 kids and wide smiles. It wasn’t long before the lure of the cooling water proved too great to resist; soon there was hardly anyone who wasn’t enjoying themselves in the pool.

With a shared responsibility agreement (SRA) in place, there is a ‘no school, no pool’ policy that will hopefully see the kids more inclined to go to school and stay in school. Judging from the huge smiles on all the faces that day, the school – and the pool – won’t be empty anytime soon.