LOCAL Aboriginal Child and Family Centre Winanga-Li has found a high-profile ally, with Wests Tigers head coach Michael Maguire signing on as an ambassador.
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The centre has partnered with the NRL club in a move that will see a cadetship program be established, so local indigenous children can receive greater attention and opportunities moving forward.
The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon at Winanga-Li's facility, with Maguire, assistant coach Ronny Griffiths and several players including James Roberts and James Tamou in attendance.
The contingent of stars spent some time with children of different age levels, even taking half an hour to go play dinosaurs, Play-Doh and build towers with the pre-school kids.
Winanga-Li's Kate McGrath was ecstatic with the announcement, and believes it is an acknowledgement of the barriers faced by the local Aboriginal community.
"We know that Aboriginal children and Aboriginal families face challenges that are almost unique compared to the city within that demographic," she said.
"But we also know that rural and regional families face huge challenges particularly in terms of accessing opportunities.
"So the fact they've selected to work with us, where not only are we an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation but we exclusively service those rural and remote communities, demonstrates they're aware of the challenges that we face and are really dedicated to supporting us in addressing some of the issues."
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While staff at the local organisation were understandably thrilled, describing it as "a huge deal" that made them "super excited", Maguire was also keen to talk about what the partnership meant to them.
The former South Sydney coach said the Tigers wanted to be a picture of inclusivity and make people from all walks of life feel comfortable.
He indicated the club was committed to the long-term future of the cadetship, and wanted to make sure it wasn't a stranger to the Gunnedah community.
"To be able to have the indigenous community in and around and supporting us in a way that I don't think many clubs have been able to achieve is something very special," he said.
"And to be honest I think this is just the tip of the iceberg where we are at the moment, we want to make sure this becomes a piece of forever and what the Wests Tigers are about."
The program is being supported by Whitehaven Coal.
The Tigers then headed down to Gunnedah's John Longmuir Fields to host a free juniors clinic. See the gallery here.
