Red Dust Round Up October 2009

RED DUST ROUND UP...

Welcome to the Spring Edition of the Red Dust Round Up Newsletter. We hope you enjoy catching up on tour highlights and other Red Dust happenings, all with links to our website for more information, photos, videos and songs.

Qantas Ambassadors Join Forces with Red Dust Team in Kintore

Red Dust's third and final tour to Kintore for 2009 was highlighted by the inclusion of Qantas Ambassadors Catherine Freeman and Leisel Jones – with fellow Olympians Lara Davenport and Red Dust Ambassador Linley Frame also contributing to the tour's Olympic flair.

The Olympians' visit was captured by accompanying journalists from the Herald Sun (Melbourne) and the Centralian Advocate (Alice Springs) newspapers, and received excellent coverage in both publications. A radio interview with Linley Frame was also conducted via telephone for the ABC.

In light of the Olympians special visit, school curriculum was developed around 'going for gold' and 'achieving your dreams' themes. After-school activities also featured swimming and pool safety programs, following a busy night of cleaning and chlorinating to ensure an early season opening of the Kintore pool.

Opening the pool had a positive influence on school attendance, in line with the 'No School, No Pool' policy, as the kids relished the opportunity to get in the water and swim laps with the Olympic swimmers. As a result, the afternoon of pool fun was a highlight for both the kids and Red Dust team alike.

As further tour highlights, the team's female members were invited to participate in a traditional women's ceremony with Kintore's revered female elders and younger generations. The visit also coincided with the culmination of the local AFL football Grand Final, and the Red Dust team was given the honour of presenting the Grand Final trophy to the carnival's winning team – the beloved Kintore Hawks.

These acts of wholehearted and endearing acceptance are indicative of the trust earned through Red Dust's many visits, and continued efforts to strengthen our community relationships.

The remainder of the week saw the core team supporting the school's literacy program and conducting further healthy lifestyle activities that included hip-hop dancing for fun and fitness, basketball, football and organised games.

Red Dust would not have the reach and scope that we do without the invaluable support of Qantas, whose commitment to fostering reconciliation with Australia's indigenous communities is reinforced through this program partnership.

International: Tour 3
India - November 2 - 6

Austrailia: Tour 8
Top End - October 18 - 23

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) staff were off and running – and walking – during the last week of September, following the launch Red Dust's first annual 'Walkabout Week' fundraising event.

The novel event involved employees being sponsored for each kilometre they travelled. Throughout the week, participants clocked up as many steps as possible, using pedometers to record their progress and help them reach (and hopefully surpass) their target fundraising goals. Individuals as well as teams of three competed for prizes, with the winner receiving a coveted place on a Red Dust tour in 2010.

To motivate the participants and build team camaraderie, Red Dust sent role models to Walkabout Week launches in Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney. Teams and individual participants gathered at Vodafone Hutchison's State offices to officially launch proceedings and get everyone excited about the upcoming week.

In Melbourne, Managing Director John Van Groningen and Red Dust Ambassador Linley Frame helped kick off the event with role models Brett Wheeler and Adam Thompson, while National Operations Manager Darren Smith and role model Glenn Manton introduced the Week in Hobart.

The excitement and festivities continued at the Sydney launch, which was attended by Darren Smith, Brett Wheeler, Anthony Brooks, Dan Lewinksy, Glenn Williams and Gretel Killeen, along with Cultural Advisor Ray Minniecon. The event was held at the VHA head office in Chatswood and attracted over 150 participants – all of them keen to hit the roads, footpaths and hallways to start clocking up the k's.

Many thanks to our friends at Vodafone Hutchison Australia for their spectacular efforts to get their team on their feet to raise money and awareness for Red Dust. Their continued support as our Program Partner and their efforts beyond that are greatly appreciated.

Australian tours kept both staff and role models very busy during the third quarter of the year, with three tours across the Central Desert.

July brought a small but formidable team back to Warburton, WA, for the annual Ngaanyatjarra Lands Youth Expo, in which Red Dust has participated for the past six years. With this year's Expo featuring music and hip-hop dance, Red Dust's music team created another fantastic song with the kids that left a positive impression on the community long after the team's departure.

This was expressed by Expo organiser Sue Clark, stating "Once again the community stands proud when the Expo song is played, and such positive experiences have lasting benefits to the many youth at risk within the Ngaanyatjarra lands."

Moreover, the inspiring songs created at the 2008 and 2009 Expos have also been adopted by workshops addressing volatile substance abuse that are conducted by the local juvenile justice officer, as a way of reinforcing the positive nature of the Expo activities and reminding the youth that good things can – and do – happen.

Also in July, the Red Dust team returned to Yuendumu for the third and final visit of the year. The team balanced basketball, soccer and footy activities with classroom support, with role models assisting with reading, writing and maths during the morning sessions.

It was pleasing to see that school attendance gradually increased during the week as word got around that Red Dust was in town. Of course, the promise of a Melbourne Demons scarf for all who attend school certainly helped – as attendance promptly jumped from an average of 40 to 72.

Another major attraction of the visit was a special video of hometown hero Liam Jurrah, who plays for the Melbourne Demons. Before the visit, Liam took time to film a short segment for Red Dust, encouraging the kids of his community to stay in school and look after themselves by eating healthy foods.

Red Dust's latest tour to Kintore in September enjoyed the inclusion of several prominent team members, with Qantas ambassadors Catherine Freeman and Leisel Jones joining Linley Frame and Lara Davenport for a very special and unique Olympic-themed visit.

You can read the full tour reports and see more photos here.

It rained solidly from the moment the Red Dust team arrived in the village of Vunidawa, approximately one-and-a-half hours drive from Suva, yet that didn't deter the amazing spirit of the Fijian children and their eagerness to learn and participate.

Red Dust delivered the Lifestyle Education Program to two schools in the region, Vunidawa District School and Vunidawa Indian School, with approximately 220 children participating throughout the four-day program.

Numerous sporting clinics were held, including rugby, netball and soccer, with the odd dance or aerobics routine thrown in for good measure. The program also covered some important health aspects facing the Fijian children, which included the creation of a fabulous song developed by Shura and Sadhana – "4 Steps to Health".

After learning the importance of hygiene, the role models and children made soap with the help of the local mothers - what an experience! Melting pre-packaged soap in a massive cooking pot over a wood fire proved to be challenging, with a few tears shed from all the smoke. Despite this, it was a fun and well-received activity, and the children made great use of the soap once it was set, using it to wash themselves and their hair in the local river.

The music team, Steve and Wayne, worked relentlessly to produce three songs for the children of Vunidawa. Since this was our second visit to the Vunidawa community, the quality of the work noticeably improved.

The support of the local Vodafone Fiji Foundation and local ambassador, Lenora Qereqeretabua, was invaluable, and we sincerely appreciate the local staff members who gave up their time to pariticipate in the program. Red Dust also thanks Fiji Water who, for the past two visits, have provided our teams with imperative hydration.

To read the full tour report and listen to the songs, click here.

leonora Red Dust was pleased to announce the appointment of women's cricket legend Melanie Jones and Vodafone Fiji's Lenora Qereqeretabua as Red Dust Ambassadors.

Melanie and Lenora join Allan Border, Kyle Vander Kuyp, Luke Darcy, Linley Frame and Lauren Burns in a varied role that requires them to represent and promote Red Dust in Australia and more broadly overseas.

Most importantly, however, Red Dust Ambassadors have a responsibility to reflect, endorse and communicate the organisation's vision and values to the youth we engage in disadvantaged communities.

All of our ambassadors endeavour to be as involved in the program as possible, participating in community visits to help deliver the Lifestyle Education Program and making appearances at special events to represent Red Dust. Melanie and Lenora have already demonstrated their commitment, with Melanie preparing for her second visit to India this year and Lenora having just completed her second stint as a Red Dust role model in Fiji.

Lenora, who works in Vodafone ATH Fiji's Corporate Affairs Unit, has been instrumental in facilitating the relationship between Red Dust and Vodafone ATH Fiji, and is a natural fit in her newly acquired role as Red Dust Fiji Ambassador.

"Red Dust and its role models have an amazing way of touching the lives of kids that is unforgettable," she said. "I feel privileged to be part of a great partnership between Red Dust and Vodafone Fiji, even more so this year because some of our own Vodafone Fiji role models will be taking part in the program. I look forward to the passion of people like Adam Thompson rubbing off on me. Watching the role models connect with the kids is so much fun and seeing the joy on their faces is so rewarding. To be picked as an ambassador is an honour and I will be there will bells on!"

melanie Melanie is regarded as a pioneer for women's cricket in Australia and around the world, and brings a wealth of sporting experience and achievement to her roles as Ambassador and role model.

Along with her numerous playing, coaching and media achievements, Melanie is also a qualified teacher, something that comes in handy when delivering Red Dust's classroom-based program activities. She is currently pursuing a media career while also working closely with elite female athletes in career development with Majestic Sports. Along with these endeavours, Melanie works part time with Cricket Victoria and is developing her own sports apparel business.

She approaches her ambassadorial role with just as much energy and enthusiasm, and is keen to be heavily involved in Red Dust programs.

"The chance to work with passionate people on amazing projects … is a dream come true," she says.

We all look forward to working with Melanie and Lenora on many exciting projects in Australia and overseas, and wish them all the best with their new adventures.