- Jul 6, 2000
- 5,627
- 15
- AFL Club
- Richmond
I read this in The West Australian. Good for a giggle.
"FOOTBALL clubs are always searching for new ways to come up with a bit of team bonding, but Fremantle's latest effort is bound to leave a burning impression for many years to come.
Coach Damien Drum dreampt up the idea of a little stroll in the bush for his boys.
However, this was no nature walk. At 20km a day for four days, the Dockers and coaching staff trekked over some pretty tough terrain at Wooleen Station, north of Mullewa in the Murchison.
With the help of the boys from Merribrook Development Training, each hiker had to carry enough food for 24 hours and six litres of water.
There was a hiccup on the first day when Andrew Shipp suffered a slight groin strain and had to turn back. He lasted only 500m, but still managed to help around the campfire every night.
Despite fear of snakes and sunstroke, the rest of the group battled on bravely until it came to the abseiling section on the last day.
Caught a little short was the Docker's number 1 draft pick, Adam McPhee, and the key defender headed into the scrub with a roll of toilet paper.
Obviously impressed by four days with Mother Nature, the Dandenong 18-year-old was determined to do his best for the environment and set fire to the used tissue so as not to leave unnatural human traces.
The result was fairly spontaneous. By the time the Dockers left the station early next morning, somewhere between 10,000ha and 14,000ha of scrub had been burnt out. Not that it worried the station manager who said he was always getting the odd fire or two in his backyard, which stretches for about a million hectares.
The culprit is now known as Smoky McPhee."
"FOOTBALL clubs are always searching for new ways to come up with a bit of team bonding, but Fremantle's latest effort is bound to leave a burning impression for many years to come.
Coach Damien Drum dreampt up the idea of a little stroll in the bush for his boys.
However, this was no nature walk. At 20km a day for four days, the Dockers and coaching staff trekked over some pretty tough terrain at Wooleen Station, north of Mullewa in the Murchison.
With the help of the boys from Merribrook Development Training, each hiker had to carry enough food for 24 hours and six litres of water.
There was a hiccup on the first day when Andrew Shipp suffered a slight groin strain and had to turn back. He lasted only 500m, but still managed to help around the campfire every night.
Despite fear of snakes and sunstroke, the rest of the group battled on bravely until it came to the abseiling section on the last day.
Caught a little short was the Docker's number 1 draft pick, Adam McPhee, and the key defender headed into the scrub with a roll of toilet paper.
Obviously impressed by four days with Mother Nature, the Dandenong 18-year-old was determined to do his best for the environment and set fire to the used tissue so as not to leave unnatural human traces.
The result was fairly spontaneous. By the time the Dockers left the station early next morning, somewhere between 10,000ha and 14,000ha of scrub had been burnt out. Not that it worried the station manager who said he was always getting the odd fire or two in his backyard, which stretches for about a million hectares.
The culprit is now known as Smoky McPhee."
