West Coast players put preparations for season 2016 on hold last week to touch base with members affected by the Waroona-Yarloop bushfire disaster.
More than half the senior playing group took over the club’s phones to call 130-plus members from the Waroona-Yarloop region to comfort them during their darkest hour.
Xavier Ellis acknowledged the players could do little to heal fire victims’ hurt, but he felt it was the group’s duty to offer support to the club’s regional fans in the wake of the catastrophe.
“We have a large portion of members down south and when tragedy hits like those fires there is not a lot that we can do, but if a phone call or shout out can help out a little bit, that’s great,” Ellis said.
“There are also a lot of kids down there that get excited at the chance to receive a call from the Eagles.”
New West Coast recruit Lewis Jetta said he’d been keeping a close eye on the unfolding disaster as he had several relatives and family friends based in Harvey and Waroona.
Fortunately Jetta’s friends and family escaped the blaze without loss, but others weren’t so lucky
“I know a lot of people wanted to stay and defend their houses, but at the end of the day you have to worry about your lives,” Jetta said
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through. I’ve never had a fire burn down my house, so I can’t really comment on what they are going through. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel for them.
Jetta was among the first players to pick up a phone and call West Coast’s most dedicated fans from Harvey
Not knowing what to expect, he was quickly reminded of the regional community’s resilience.
Although he was meant to be checking in on their welfare, several fans were more concerned about his family’s wellbeing
“I rang most of Harvey and as soon as I said my name a lot of people asked: “Where are your mum and dad?” Jetta said.
“They were telling me to pass on messages to my mum and dad to see how they were going.”
In addition to the placing several calls to fans, budding West Coast star and Albany boy Jeremy McGovern used his only training-free day last week to visit those doing it tough in Harvey and Waroona
“I thought I would just go down there for the day and see how everyone was doing,” McGovern said.
“I went to a couple of local shops and had a chat to the shopkeepers and they said they had only just re-opened the day that I got there.
“They had been out of business and hadn’t been let back in for a couple of weeks.
“I also went to one of the fire stations. There were helicopters coming in from everywhere. There were a lot of people there doing a lot of work.”
The club also recently donated 40 school packs to Yarloop’s children to assist their return to school next month.
