The West Coast Eagles recently visited Banksia Hill Detention Centre to support its NAIDOC week celebrations.

West Coast Eagles forward Josh Hill, indigenous liaison officer Phil Narkle, general manager for community and game development Richard O’Connell and schools and community coordinator James Grabski attended this now annual visit.

O’Connell said the visit was a valuable exercise for West Coast staff and detainees.

“Josh Hill spoke to a range of young people about learning from their choices and how it’s important to move on and learn from the past,” O’Connell said.

“The club engages with 150,000 young people a year and each one of these conversations is an opportunity to share a positive message and hopefully reinforce messages their teachers and parents are consistently delivering.

“Unfortunately, in some cases youth don’t have the guidance of a parent or teacher, so these player visits are even more important.”

Narkle said the club’s staff enjoyed visiting the centre’s youth to celebrate NAIDOC week.

“The West Coast Eagles Football Club have been involved with the Banksia Hill Detention Centre for many years now to help celebrate their NAIDOC Week,” Narkle said.

“We believe in reconciliation because we acknowledge, accept and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at our club and in our community.”

Josh Hill showed off his basketball skills during a pick-up match with the children before the group shared an art project they had been working on as part of their NAIDOC celebration activities. The painting celebrated this year’s NAIDOC theme: Our Languages Matter.

The 2017 theme aims to celebrate the essential role that Indigenous languages play in both cultural identity, linking people to their land and water, and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.