Fremantle’s second year AFL and AFLW players were on hand to honour 10 of WA’s bravest kids at the AJ Diamond Club Bravery Awards at Fremantle headquarters on Tuesday.
The awards have been an annual event on the Fremantle calendar since inception, and in its 26 years, it’s been considered a source of inspiration for Fremantle’s recently drafted players.
This year, the South Metropolitan Health Service highlighted 10 brave children who have battled through some tough injuries and medial conditions in the past year.
AFL players Caleb Serong, Hayden Young, Liam Henry and Leno Thomas and AFLW players Roxy Roux, Mim Strom, Bianca Webb, Emma O’Driscoll and Aine Tighe were on hand to read the kids’ stories and present them with a medal, certificate and gifts from the club.
Young said he was struck by how positive and upbeat the whole group was.
“It was a really special and really cool to have to kids down here. They’ve spent a lot of time in and out of hospital in their short lives so far and it was good to be able to put a smile on their faces,” Young said.
“It puts things into perspective. I went through an injury last year and was lucky to have a great support network around me and these kids would have been in and out of the hospital room, which would have been really challenging for them and their families.
“It’s special to see the smiles on their faces and how positive they are, considering what they’ve been through.
“They get looked after really well through the Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Perth Children’s Hospital and obviously their parents, who are out here today. They have a great support behind them, too.
“I had a great chat with Emily, she’s 11 and in grade five, she doesn’t have a football team but I think she’s a Fremantle supporter now and I reckon her favourite player is now number 26!”
Webb said she drew inspiration from young Aiyaya, who smiled her way through numerous procedures at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
“Aiyana had to go through so much but she got through it with playdough and glitter! She was absolutely amazing,” Webb said
“She was so bubbly and jumped up and down the whole time, I wish I had as much energy as her. She just smiled the whole time she was brilliant.
“The whole Bravery Awards was an amazing experience. It’s definitely one for the soul to remember what we go through as kids. Not all of us go through the same thing, so to hear their stories and how brave they are, it’s really touching.”
The AJ Diamond Club is a Fremantle corporate members club that has supported the Bravery Awards since 2013.
