WHEN Ollie Wines’ home town of Echuca in Victoria was flooded recently, it left him with feelings of gratitude.

Not because his family home was spared despite the floodwaters causing significant damage to many of the local properties but instead because he was part of a country community where everyone bands together in times of need.

Sticking together was a key message from the Port Adelaide Brownlow Medallist and his club captain Tom Jonas as the pair spent Tuesday in Mannum – some 1500km down stream from Echuca – speaking with children at the Mannum Community College.

Jonas is very familiar with the River Murray, having spent a lot of time on and around the river at his family shack near Bowhill.

“If I was to leave you with one thing, it’s probably just to stick together,” Jonas told the audience of around 300 children at the R-12 school.

“I think if you’re having a bad day or going through some tough times, it’s easier to actually share it with other people and have the conversation rather than carrying the burden yourself.

“Often, you’ll find people are there and they want to help you get through tough times so all I’d say is stick together; either be the ear for someone else or the shoulder to lean on, or be the person that does reach out.

“You don’t have to go through it alone.”

Wines said the community was well placed to get through the imminent flood concerns, despite predictions of around 175 gigalitres per day flooding over the border in the coming days and the chance that could rise to as much as 220 gigalitres.

“It’s the special thing about coming from a country town,” Wines explained. “Everyone comes together and works together to help each other out.

“It’s something in the cities they probably don’t get and don’t understand.

“You’re a really tight community so band together and you’ll be right.”

Tuesday’s visit – organised as part of the Advertiser Foundation’s Christmas Kids Appeal – saw Jonas and Wines give a short talk before getting into the fun stuff - kicking the footy with the students, signing autographs and posing for photos.

FIVEaa and Nova919 also supported the event, bringing along a huge blow-up handball station and a cannon which launched footballs high into the air to create an epic game of mark’s up.

Volunteers were also on hand to distribute free fruit, water and healthy snacks to the children, donated by local businesses.

The Christmas Kids Appeal is this year being expanded from a toy drive to a food drive as well, helping underprivileged children and those from flood-affected communities along the Murray.

Back in Echuca it was a perfect storm with the Campaspe and Goulbourn Rivers meeting the Murray and bringing with them floodwaters from Shepparton and Mooroopna.

Like in Mannum, a levee was constructed through the town, leaving some 190 homes and businesses on the wrong side.

Wines was optimistic the situation would not be as bad in Mannum given it was the relationship between the three river systems that put Echuca at such risk.

“The water did get high (in Echuca),” Wines said. “Fortunately, where we live on the river, we have a levee already and were able to build another levee so my family’s home was spared but a lot of the community wasn’t.

“There was a lot of controversy about where they built the levee in town and a number of houses ended up getting pretty badly flooded from it so fingers crossed for you guys.

“The water is starting to drop in Echuca now. It’s coming down so fingers crossed that will happen throughout the river and up to here, it’s not as high as that peak and it’s better than they think.

Jonas praised the community spirit he’d experienced with neighbours banding together to provide sandbags for his family shack.

But he said the shack would be okay, instead wishing the community well for the predicted flood peak in early December.

“We’re certainly in a privileged position where it’s just our holiday home, while for some of you and your family and friends it’ll be livelihoods at stake,” Jonas said.

“The 1974 flood level is our floor so we’ll see what happens there otherwise the shed’s probably going to get a bit wet.

“We’ve had plenty of time to prepare and the community spirit has been incredible, as you’ve probably seen and been on the receiving end of.

“We’re ok. We’re just hoping there’s not as much water coming as they predict – moreso for yourselves than for us.”