STANDING TALL IN ALICE SPRINGS

STANDING TALL IN ALICE SPRINGS

Chef Sean Connolly and NBL legend Cal Bruton again joined forces in Alice Springs to partner with the Nyewente community.  Sean brought the Eat Strong Play Strong program to the local Nyewente Basketball Club in support of an initiative championed by Baker IDI indigenous research fellow, Ricky Mentha.

Nyewente Basketball Club was established in 2011 and is a fully Aboriginal-controlled Club. The club is a grassroots Aboriginal sporting club with widespread community support and will be a key partner in delivering future projects in the region.

Charity Bounce began the trip with a smoking ceremony and cooking by local elders who shared with the team some of the great initiatives that they have developed to achieve positive outcomes for their community. The honey ants were a special treat and we were honoured to be welcomed to Alice Springs by such a great community.

After seeing the Nyewente basketball teams in action, everyone was impressed by the skills and culture of the team as a model for inclusive sport and striving to achieve both on and off the court. Sean delivered an Eat Strong, Play Strong cooking demo with the young people with NBL legend Cal Bruton facilitating a Stand Tall basketball clinic on the day. The young people were from the local Aboriginal communities in Alice Springs and passionate about the sport of basketball.

Sean said, “Being a part of the trip to Alice Springs was an amazing experience and I am looking forward to getting back again to learn more about the culture and get some more cooking tips. I loved interacting with everyone from the community and hearing the personal stories about their culture and the real challenges that exist for the Aboriginal people. I was the one that got inspired and I hope I can support the programs Charity Bounce wants to partner on in the future.” 

Cal Bruton also delivered the Stand Tall program with more than 40 locals including the Nyewente Basketball club players. With his trademark Swag in the Bag and rhythmic whistle tunes he led the participants in a series of skills and drills with a lot more than just basketball at the heart of it, sharing about his life story and how he overcame the challenges he faced as a child through to his many years as a professional athlete. Inspiring the participants to be not be defined by the challenge but to believe in yourself and set the right goals so you will make the right decisions in life.

Ian Heininger, Charity Bounce CEO, said that “the Nyewente community have achieved such positive outcomes for their young people and in fact the whole community with the programs they have developed. These have come out of their own community, for the benefit of their community and the next generation of children and young people. We will certainly keep this relationship going as long as we have the honour of partnering with Nyewente and we already have some plans in place so keep your eyes on this space.”

Joining Sean and Cal on the trip were prominent industry leaders including NBL Chairman and CPA Chairman Graeme Wade; COO of Baker IDI David Lloyd; Founder and Managing Director of Pacific Equity Partners, Rickard Gardell; and former NBL and NBA executive Bret Mactavish who all joined together to support the Charity Bounce initiative and travelled with Ian, Sean, and Cal on the Alice Springs trip.

Charity Bounce is a not for profit organisation that exists to inspire positive change to overcome disadvantage for individuals and communities. With a focus on Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and Culturally Diverse communities, including newly arrived refugees we aim to move people toward a more positive future through the development of sports, the arts, health, education and employment focused social programs. The programs are delivered in partnership with professional athletes to motivate change and inspire.