Alpurrurulam is a remote Indigenous community that lies on the NT side of the Queensland border.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Alpurrurulam is a dry community so many make the four hour journey to Mount Isa across bumpy and poorly maintained roads to get their grog. But others have a healthier reason for making the trip each week.
Aussie Rules provides an important outlet for a community of few opportunities and entertainments and pride of place in the town goes to the town's footy team, the Lake Nash Young Guns.
In season the town's red dirt oval is full of full of young players training every evening, often barefoot, or in socks.
The team plays in the Mount Isa AFL competition against the four Mount Isa-based clubs. All games are in Mount Isa which means an eight-hour return trip each week.
Players struggle to have food to provide them with the energy they need to get them through a full game of footy.
The team are lucky if they are able to hunt a kangaroo on the way into town as this will be their dinner Friday night before game day Saturday.
In 2019 Lake Nash were controversially banned from the 2020 season after on-field incidents including verbal abuse and fighting in two games though the Territorians complained with some justification they were subject to racial abuse of their own.
The ban may have been a blessing in disguise as they would have struggled to make the 2020 season due to the pandemic and border closures.
Now they are back in 2021 but they have a problem to solve.
The team bus broke down many years ago so most weekends they use what ever cars are roadworthy to travel the 600km round trip, sometimes breaking down along the way.
Finding the fuel money which exceeds $300 weekly is something the team cannot afford and now they are seeking donations for a bus.
"The team's passion for footy keeps them fit, healthy and their mental health strong," the club said.
"The young men in this team train hard weekly and like to keep healthy and promote footy in the community as a way to help the younger generation to stay out of trouble as living remote there is not many positive activities for youth in this part of outback Australia to participate in."
With the deaths in custody issue raising its ugly head again, here is a practical way to keep young Indigenous men healthy desperately crying out for some government support.
In the meantime, you can access the Young Guns' GoFundMe page here.