Day three of Fremantle’s 2009 Telstra AFL Community Camp saw them take the purple passion to remote communities in the Kimberley region.

Players spent the day meeting school children and community members in some of the most isolated areas in the region.

New recruit Casey Sibosado headed to his hometown of Lombardina on the Dampier Peninsula with team mates Rhys Palmer and Paul Duffield. The group also visited schools at Beagle Bay and One Arm Point to discuss the importance of working hard at school and encouraging students to look after their bodies through good nutrition and exercise.

Josh Head, Ryan Murphy and Brock O’Brien made a visit to Holy Rosary School in Derby, where their discussions on the need to stay in and focus on school were complimented with skill games and kick to kick with the students.

Des Headland, Jay Van Berlo and Clayton Hinkley made the one and a half hour journey south of Broome to the most isolated stand alone community in Western Australia – Bidyadanga.

Located 180km south of Broome, Bidyadanga has a population of 800 residents, with 185 of them aged between one and17 and enrolled at La Grange Remote Community School. Five individual languages are spoken amongst the enrolled students.

The school opened in 1982 after originally being established in the mid 1960s as a Catholic mission. It has 15 teaching staff and 15 non-teaching staff, making the school the biggest employer in the Bidyadanga community.

Des, Jay and Clayton arrived at the school to a warm reception from not only the students but other members of the community who ventured to La Grange to meet their Fremantle heroes.

All three players were a hit with the students and adults alike as they happily signed autographs and posed for photographs.

The trio made their way through each class at the school and spoke of their lives as AFL footballers, what nutritional requirements they must maintain to ensure peak conditioning as well as enforcing the importance of receiving an education. Each player encouraged La Grange’s students to make a concerted effort to go to school each day, learn as much as they can and to work hard while in the classroom.

Each student received a Fremantle showbag to cap off what the club hopes will be a memorable day for the community.

La Grange RCS Principal Mark Williams said his students stood to learn a lot from their time spent with Des, Jay and Clayton.

“To have positive role models visit the community, especially indigenous players like Des Headland, and to speak on the importance of schooling and learning life skills …I’m sure it will go a long way with our kids,” Mr Williams said.

“We have really been encouraging our students to attend school more regularly and I think hearing their heroes encouraging them to do just that will be beneficial for a while to come.

“Fremantle are more supported in the Bidyadanga community than any other club so to have (Des, Jay and Clayton) here today is just fantastic. The kids got a real kick out of it and it also brought members of the community into the school, which is something we encourage.”

Clayton, who comes from Warracknabeel in regional Victoria, said today’s experience was something he had never previously encountered.

“I have never been to anywhere this remote before,” he said.

“I thought I was out in the bush in Warracknabeel but this is something else.

“It was a great experience to meet all the people. They were all really warm and eager to meet us, which is pretty humbling. It is good to know that we have passionate Fremantle fans out here as well.”

Following their arrival back in Broome, all players headed to the Police and Citizens Youth Centre in the town to spend an hour with local children. Casey and Des showed themselves to be handy basketballers, while Brock, Ryan and Paul spent the time playing kick to kick with the youngsters.

Fremantle will depart Broome tomorrow morning, wrapping up their busy and highly rewarding 2009 Telstra AFL Community Camp.

All Fremantle coaches, players and staff who made the trip north wish to extend their gratitude and thanks to everyone within the Shire of Broome as well as those they visited in remote communities for making them feel at home while in the Kimberley.