While we are based at Healesville we visited a number of areas throughout the Yarra Valley on our first day on Camp.
The day started with a training session at Visy Park and we all boarded the Bus to Healesville just after 10.00am.
In my time at Carlton we have visited a number of places during our community camp. We have travelled Internationally as far as South Africa and nationally to Alice Springs, so our trip this year to the Yarra Valley is pretty close, but by no means any less important when you consider the year that many people in this area have had.
It took us a little over one-hour to arrive in Healesville, and following checking into our rooms and a quick bite for lunch we were off to start our school visits.
All the players were split up into groups, there were eight groups overall. Seven of them were made up of four players in a car, while the remaining players, including myself jumped back into the Bus and headed to Toolangi Primary School.
Toolangi is about a 15 minute drive from Healesville, it really is a small town that you come across as you wind your way though pretty dense terrain.
Toolangi, is a small school with just 20 students, and it was a great way to start the camp for our group as it included most of our first year players.
We spent an hour with the students at Toolangi and then headed to Badger Creek Primary School. This school was a lot bigger with over 250 students.
At both schools we conducted a classroom chat then ran a footy clinic, with the temperature hitting the mid 30’s the students were more than happy to forget about the footy and get autographs and photos.
Following the school visits we headed to Healesville’s Sports Complex for a Super Clinic. It was not my first visit to that footy ground. I remember kicking a goal for the Eastern Rangers’ representative side at the ground a few years ago now.
In fact as an Emerald boy, its only a short trip to the Yarra Valley and I have played at many grounds in the area as I played Junior footy in the Yarra Valley Football League.
We headed back to the hotel to prepare for our dinner at the Yarra Glen Racecourse. We had a couple of hours to freshen up and get ourselves ready for the function.
Unfortunately for Paul Bower two hours wasn’t long enough for him to head home and grab his right dress shoe, in the haste of packing for the trip he packed two left footed dress shoes. And while the boys got a good laugh about it as we boarded the bus, he got a bigger laugh at the function after one fo the boys tipped the MC off about Paul’s little dilemma.
It was great to see 360 people packed into the Yarra Glen Racecourse. The function was set to be held at the Kinglake Football Club, but due to the high demand for tickets, it was transferred to the bigger function room at Yarra Glen.
The players were split up at the function with one or two players sitting at a table with the guests, the tables were made up from people all over the Yarra Valley, including a table of players from the Emerald Football Club.
As well as raising plenty of money for local footy clubs and having a great meal, the guests were treated to interviews with local boy and coach Brett Ratten, skipper Chris Judd and new recruit Kane Lucas.
The function wrapped up at around 10.00pm and it was back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s activities that include hospital visits and a special visit to the Kinglake Temporary Village.
Click here to read Simmo's Day Two Diary
