WillPOWER gets underway for the first time in the APY Lands as portadelaidefc.com.au joins Byron Pickett, Taliqua Clancy and Paul Vandenbergh to Indulkana.

It’s an early departure to get to the Indulkana school in time for the start of the day. Again, it’s more winding earth roads and more of the classic ochre landscapes you see on the back of tourism brochures.

Pauly explains more about the importance of this journey, how previous visits to the area of gone and what we can expect when we arrive.

He also explains about totems, and how they’re bestowed. Fregon has a dingo or dog’s paw; Mimili, a Maku (witchetty grub); and Indulkana is an owl.

Port Adelaide fans will be pleased to hear Pukatja, where Wade, Ross and Sasha are going, is Port-crazy, and the Magpie is their totem.

It takes just under two hours for an estimated 2.5-hour journey, despite splats of rain, it holds enough to make for a pretty dry run.

When we arrive, it’s breakfast time.

The teachers here – many, it seems, from Adelaide – help the local kids in the schoolyard serving up porridge, a particular favourite, while Xavier Rudd music plays over the loudspeakers.

Unsurprisingly, there is no footy shortage in the yard either.

Once the bell goes, we’re straight into a Phys Ed lesson on the court where Choppy, Taliqua and Pauly take the kids through some exercise and skills.

Then, it’s into the classroom for Indulkana’s first session of WillPOWER.



As Pauly says hello and introduces all of us to the classroom, he plays highlights of both Taliqua and Choppy in action.

As we discover, the kids are particularly impressed by Taliqua’s athleticism on the beach volleyball court, but when the reel of Byron Pickett’s ‘Greatest Hits’ Volume 1 plays, all they’re up for is laughing.

Everyone enjoys seeing some old-fashioned crash-and-bang from Choppy.

Highlights over, today is about giving what is essentially an induction into the program.

WillPOWER is designed for kids in years 5, 6 and 7, and promotes both cultural pride and respect as well as helping to improve literacy and numeracy skills for kids, using footy as the vessel to deliver the program.

To give some context, in traditional language, counting only goes up to three, beyond that, is “Tjuta” (which means many).

WillPOWER doesn’t try to stop that, nor do regular in-class programs, but it does help to forge an understanding of both traditional and non-traditional concepts.



The program also emphasises the importance of making healthy choices – eating the right foods, exercising and saying ‘no’ to peer pressure, drugs and alcohol.

Today, the kids complete a find-a-word, map their mob and dreaming on a map of Australia and then teach us some of the traditional language of the region alongside English equivalents on a word table.

Then, it’s time for play.

We play a game – our first on red earth – and volleyball.

It’s a great first day and the kids are thrilled to see Byron and Taliqua show some of their skills.



Indulkana is a pretty good school in terms of attendance. As many kids have 100% attendance as those with none at all. It might seem odd to draw a positive from that, but when children face any number of challenges – particularly the tyranny of distance – to even get into the classroom, it’s a good result.

The challenge is to bring more kids into the classroom, and keep them there.

Throughout our time at Indulkana, we’re assisted by Adrian Peel, who is now an Aboriginal Case Worker in the school.

He’s a success story from a few other Power Aboriginal programs.

Having moved from Indulkana to Adelaide to finish his schooling, Adrian captained Windsor Gardens in the Aboriginal Power Cup and then was an inaugural member of the Aboriginal AFL Academy run jointly by Port Adelaide and the SA Aboriginal Sports Training Academy.

Just last week, he played the curtain raiser to the West Coast v AFL Indigenous All-Stars game in Leederville, Perth.

Now he’s back home and effectively working as a teaching assistant for local school here.

Helping the teachers by bridging the gap between English and traditional languages in the classroom is something he enjoys, and having finished Year 12 himself, Adrian knows how important it is to try and keep children at school.



Teachers here acknowledge they won’t see the change they’re helping to make in these communities, but they know that if concerted and dedicated teachers follow them into these Towns, then a difference will be made into the future.

The reality is that developing these educational programs is as much about instilling in students the importance and benefit of education today, so they can reinforce it to their children and grandchildren in years to come.

Port Adelaide is just one of many organisations, particularly non-government ones, providing this support to local schools.

Day done, it’s then back in the car and off on the next long drive back to Umuwa.

Tomorrow we take the shorter drive to Fregon, a smaller primary school about half an hour south of where we’re staying.