In Week 3, the SAASTA students journeyed to Adelaide to participate in the 16th Annual Santos Aboriginal Power Cup. This is a week-long combination of health and career learning experiences, as well as the much-anticipated football tournament. Every academy from South Australia participated in the tournament, which meant two full days of fierce competition. We spent a day at Flinders University learning about different tertiary study options, as well as listening to a few presentations from major sponsors about possible career opportunities within their various companies. We stayed at the BIG4 cabins in West Beach, where students were pleased to have some independence for the week, staying with their friends and enjoying the social aspects of the accommodation. The Port Pirie Academy’s guernsey design was none other than Elisabeth Court-Demell of John Pirie Secondary School (formerly of GHS) and featured some aboriginal language symbols, as well as other iconography, and the word ‘NUKUNU’ featured at the bottom, all on a white background, which looked striking, and was proudly worn by our players. Our two teams, male and female, both performed admirably, and our lads made it through the first two days undefeated. The girls gave the football a solid crack, but suffered a few early injuries, which made it hard to substitute players for a break. Our girls ended up joining the Port Augusta side for the rest of the competition, which was a lot of fun and allowed for some extremely wholesome bonding between the two girl's groups, as well as some excellent football. At the presentation dinner, which was held in the William Magarey Room, we had a welcome to country from Uncle Mick O’Brien and listened to officials such as David Koch talk to us about the success of the Power Cup and SAASTA programs, while praising students for their efforts in all areas of their schooling. Then, the winners of the male and female football competitions were announced. Two boys and two girls teams would play their Grand Final match on Adelaide Oval before the Port Adelaide v Melbourne AFL game. It was not only about the football results though – the winners are the ones with good behaviour and attendance records, as well as those who have submitted their work to a good standard. Port Pirie vs Oceanview was announced for the boys, and Ocean View vs Port Lincoln was announced for the girls. Our academy roared in excitement after hearing the announcement and had to immediately leave the Magarey Room to change and get ready for the Grand Final. Oceanview played extremely competitive football, but the Pirie Academy team continued to be too good. We don’t know the final score, but we estimate that we won by about six goals. Multiple players had stellar performances on the field, and the team displayed incredible sportsmanship and pride at all stages of the tournament. Students from every academy then participated in a cultural dance performance as a curtain-raiser for the AFL game. They had been practicing this dance during the week, and all students proudly wore their striking new Power Cup polo shirts for it. After the dance, students got to enjoy the AFL game, while trying their hardest to stay warm and dry. The bus left the cabin park early the next morning, filled with an air of success, pride and fulfillment.
Ryan Mills – “My favourite part was walking around the expos, finding new job pathways and opportunities, and meeting new people.”
Ethan Farrows – “It was a great experience to learn new skills, meet new people, and play on Adelaide Oval”
William Bullock – “I like how you could go there, hang out with your own mob, meet new people from other parts of Australia, also see some famous Australian people.”
Ronald Nash – “A highlight for me would be playing on Adelaide Oval in front of thousands of people, also winning the Grand Final match.”
David Nash – “I enjoyed having our own house with the boys for the week and playing the grand final on Adelaide Oval. I liked meeting new people with footy skills.”
Max Rutjens - AET Teacher