With the rest of the West Coast squad splitting up to cover multicultural events in both the northern and southern suburbs of Perth, Naitanui ensured he visited all students involved in the day, and headed to both Queens Park and Nollamara.
“Today is our big Multicultural Gala Day, so we had one south and one north. We had about 400 kids down at Queens Park this morning and about 500 here today at Nollamara,” Naitanui said.
“It’s just a lot of kids from different backgrounds getting involved in footy, and from a young age.
“It is something I’ve been fortunate to be involved in with the AFL for the past couple of years. And having that Multicultural Ambassador role means I can help put these days together and give young kids something to do.
“For the majority of the kids down here today, it’s just about having fun and to learn. I’ve told them all to pick the brains of the AFL footballers that are down here today, because the boys are pretty knowledgeable not just in their sport, but in their health and their education as well.”
And on the topic of meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger, Naitanui said he felt much like he imagines the kids at the Multicultural Gala Day might feel – in awe.
“It’s always a good experience to meet one of your childhood heroes. I was pretty starstruck to be honest. I didn’t have a lot to say to him because I was completely in awe.
“I guess kind of similar to how some of these kids might feel today, meeting some of their idols.”
