The Knockout

Image: Black satin funeral beads tied in a bow.

1.30am Saturday, Canberra Australia.

I read The Knockout again last night, first time in many years. 

Many of the participants have passed on; young and old they slipped into the life expectancy gap.

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THE KNOCKOUT a tweetyarn from a long time ago

 

For a time, I worked in a remote community. My job was teaching homeless kids how to make films.

Number 1 job criteria: community engagement.

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The project target group was 14-17yo kids.

I had 12-20yo’s & younger who wanted to join in with their family members.

I had to manage that.

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I was new to town & they didn’t know me. They told me pretty much everyday for the 1^st year.

Who are you? Why are you here?

I liked my job.

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We ran our youth projects on limited funds. Nowhere near as much funding as the local health service, juvenile justice, or family services.

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I’d been a bureaucrat for X years so I know how to fill a form in.

So I volunteered to help others to write submissions for youth projects.

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It was a small, remote community described as ‘troubled’ with more agencies that I’d ever seen on the ground.

I formed an interagency committee.

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I had gone around to all the agencies to introduce myself and ask what they did.

They struggled to engage.

I said, I have more than I need.

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Town folk continued to ask me, who are you and why are you here?

No really. WHY and YOU…HERE.

- I like my job.

They kept watching me.

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Make no mistake…if you are working with peoples’ kids…in their community…they want to know exactly what you are doing.

Then I get a visit from a group of men … coach, manager and the captain of the local team. All related to the youth group.

They had a request.

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The team reps said they wanted to go to the Knockout. The drought had dried up all their work.

They’d heard I was good at getting money..?

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[The Qld & NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnivals are the major if not the biggest sports/cultural events on the annual calendar.]

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I responded, in case they hadn’t heard who I was and what I was doing ‘here’.

I ran youth film projects.

They were an adult rugby team.

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My strategy:

I said, okay let me think about this. I can’t give you an answer now. Give me a week. I make no promises.

They left happy.

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The rugby team was in training. I drove past & noted 3 nights/week they trained while a big group of kids hung on the fence and watched.

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Boss asked, how’s it going?

I said, I need to find money for a mens’ rugby team.

He said, that’s not us.

I said, but we engage communities, right?

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Boss said, umm.

I said, yeah I get it, I’m on my own.

Team members would drive past waving. People stopped asking Qs. Now they just stared.

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I was living remote so net access was problematic.

I hotfooted it around all the agencies to get some ideas.

No one would fund a Knockout.

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I was worried, I can’t lie.

The rest of the world may not know it, but a Knockout is a very important cultural event for families and communities.

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I spent hours at night reading grant criteria, and days talking to agencies. Then the week was up.

The team parked 3 deep outside my house.

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I knew some of them from the local Domestic Violence Men’s Group.

It was well known that 2 had been perpetrators and had worked to set it up.

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DV spiked around significant events.

Some women had been known to check into the women’s shelter BEFORE the men came home from a Knockout.

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I said:

I can get you funding for two chartered buses, three nights hotel accommodation with breakfast, team guernseys & registration.

But there’s two conditions.

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First condition: when you are training for 2hrs x 3 nights/week you need to include all the boys who turn up. Run them hard so they go home and sleep.

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I explained, you’re all related. Between you and the Police ACLO who’s agreed to run some home in his bus. The boys need to be off the streets.

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I explained the second condition…they agreed.

We negotiated how we were going to get funding for an unincorporated organization. Tricky.

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The next day I’m walking down the main street of that small town. A group of local ladies spied me and called out. First time they knew my name.

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‘Hey Siv! Are you getting money for the men to go away for the Knockout? They’re all married here but they’re single when they go away.’

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‘Yes, I gave them an idea with two conditions and they agreed to both.

The first is that they tire the boys out and get them home 3 nights/week.

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And the second condition…for two buses, three nights in a hotel with breakfast; and entry tickets…and they all agreed…is they take their wives.

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FOOTNOTE

It cost $7000. That funded a trip away for 34 men, 16 women, 72 kids and the team came 4^th.

The End.

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LINK

Don't miss this - some wonderful yarning about community engagement
Editor:  Melissa Sweet Sunday February 9, 2014