Devastating floods which hit the Gascoyne region in December last year and continue to affect farms in the Upper Gascoyne and Gascoyne Junction did not change West Coast’s plans to visit Carnarvon and Exmouth as part of the club’s 2011 Telstra AFL Community Camp.

Click here to see your Eagles heroes in Carnarvon, Exmouth and Merredin.

The majority of the squad was sent to Carnarvon, and players and coaches thoroughly enjoyed two action-packed days assisting local families in their time of need.

Premiership ruckman Dean Cox said he relished the chance to give back to the community.

“It’s a great opportunity to come up and visit a town that has been through some pretty hard times over the last few months,” said Cox.

“We’re just happy to go out and lend a hand in any way we possibly can.”

As soon as the plane touched down, players and coaches immediately hit the streets, dropping in on the local hospital and aged-care facility to buoy the spirits of the club’s loyal and devoted fans.

Later that afternoon, six local schools went into mayhem with West Coast players dropping in to help out with making lunch, as well as co-ordinating a few handball drills and table tennis matches.

In between buttering a few rolls and serving a nutritional lunch to the kids, West Coast captain Darren Glass said he was overwhelmed at the level of support shown at the East Carnarvon Primary School.

“It’s great to promote healthy eating and spend time with the children at the same time. There are some good die-hard Eagles fans up here so it’s good to be here,” Glass explained.

“I’ve been to quite a few rural areas now doing the community camps and it’s a great chance to meet some of your fans and to get out there and give something back to the people.”

The next stop was the local Town Oval where over 50 kids rolled up to have a kick with their footballing heroes, scoring as many photos and autographs as possible.

Hailing from country town Dampier, Cox was impressed with the level of affection shown by the local community.

“Being a country kid, I didn’t get the opportunity to see an AFL footballer when I was growing up, so that’s probably the most pleasing part,” Cox offers.

“Not only has Carnarvon welcomed us with open arms, but just to see the amount of enjoyment the kids get out of it, to really put a smile on their faces by just having a kick on the oval with them, it was good fun.”

As the evening approached, plenty of the townspeople arrived at the Premier Oval for the West Coast Eagles Community Barbeque.

Adoring fans made the most of the panel session, asking hard-hitting questions, and also enjoyed another opportunity to take photos with their favourite players and grab a signature or two. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Carnarvon Sporting Clubs Relief Fund to assist community organisations.

The second day saw players and coaches roll up their sleeves to help families and businesses who had been directly hit by the floods. Some players were sent to the banana packing facility, while others tried their hands at re-wiring fences on plantations or even painting houses.

Elsewhere in the state, a group of players were let loose in Exmouth, visiting schools, hospitals and even the local swimming pool.

After a busy day in the community, the players and coaches kicked back at a barbeque with Exmouth residents, teaming up with the locals to put their general knowledge to the test in a few rounds of quiz questions.

A third group dropped in on Merredin to lend a hand to a drought relief event. Players and coaches discussed the challenges they have faced during their careers, before joining the locals for some highly competitive lawn bowls and copping a minor dust storm.

Senior coach John Worsfold said the club has a strong sense of responsibility to the community and enjoyed repaying the loyalty and support of Eagles fans in country WA.

“The community camps have been a great initiative from the AFL for a number of years now where each club gets out into community areas, and it’s a big part of our community responsibility.

“We look forward to it and we enjoy these time-out periods from our training program to contribute in a different way to the community.

“There are definitely benefits for the players, but it’s more about rounding them out as people. It’s not just being involved in these communities for the next few days, but developing them and giving them experiences that will make up the person they become.”