The term ‘life changing’ gets thrown around a lot, but fair to say what I experienced last week in Central Australia was nothing short of that. Having the opportunity and privilege to not only spend time in this wonderful part of our country, but to see and experience first hand the amazing work that groups like the Have a Ball Foundation are doing to make a real difference in remote communities was very special.

Sure, I was there primarily to capture photographs and video, but to really experience it and get immersed in what’s happening was truly an eye opener. Take the very small community of Wallace Rock Hole, approx 120 kms south-west of Alice Springs. The teacher at their tiny school was so delighted to receive our delivery of new & used balls (having been donated by primary school children in Melbourne), she told us that the children there don’t receive anything on Christmas day…and that she would like to hold onto the balls until Christmas so that they could at least experience for once the feeling of receiving a present – something we all take for granted.

And to think that the balls they received were all donated by Melbourne primary school kids who may have played with them for a while, but perhaps have just been sitting around at home, in a cupboard, under a bed or in the backyard. Stories like this are plentiful in these communities and I feel so honoured to have been part of the experience – something which will now become a part of my annual calendar.

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Another tiny community we visited was Imanpa, whose brightly coloured used car bonnets stand as sentinels at the entrance of the dirt track that takes you to their home. We were there just before school was scheduled to start at 9am. The ring of the bell echoed throughout the community, but no kids came running…for this was a community in mourning due to the death of an elder. It took the principal to get in her car and drive to a couple of houses to round up a few kids personally so that the teacher actually had some pupils to teach. Can you imagine that happening in the city…

If you’d like to know about the great work that the Have a Ball Foundation is doing, or to offer support, check out the website or Facebook page.