St Mary’s U18 South Africa Cultural Trip 2024

The biennial cultural trip for the U18 cohort of boys was back in South Africa for 2024 now that travel restrictions were a thing of the past. It was with great excitement that a committee was formed and fundraising began. It was a slow burn that quickly ramped up speed with bunnings BBQ’s, wine drives, raffle ticket sales and of course the big one, the Big Night Out.

The date of the trip pushed back from September to December meant we had more time for fundraising and collection of footy’s, footy boots and other merchandise that could be distributed whilst in South Africa.

As footy season 2024 drew to a close the departure date was set and senior players selected to coach the boys. Jarryd Garner, who was looking forward to his first visit to South Africa and Harry Benson, who was keen to return having been on the trip in 2016, started footy training with the boys 6 weeks out. The footy sessions started the connection Garns & Benno were creating within the group which only got better and better as the trip went on.

The group of 33 was made up of 21 U18’s, 2 senior footy players, 8 parents and 1 grandparent. On the 4th of December the group gathered at the club rooms to start the 2 day journey to Johannesburg. Goodbyes were said and the adventure began!

First stop Sydney for an overnight stay as we had an early flight in the morning. Clear instructions for alarms to be set were provided to all and only 2 slept in! Leachy & Harvey were soon presented with the ‘naughty necklaces’ that they would wear for the next 24 hours. Tomorrow would be a new day and they would get to choose from the nominations as to who would wear the necklaces following them. This became a tradition that would continue throughout the trip.

The trip to Johannesburg was a 14 hour flight. There wasn’t much sleep as card games, seat swapping and plenty of food and snacks kept everyone entertained. Jackson & Ace told the crew members it was their birthday and they were then gifted a pair of Qantas PJ’s and a hat. . As part of their birthday, once we had landed, the crew took all the boys, 2 at a time, on a tour of the flight deck.

We were greeted on arrival in Johannesburg by Phindi our guide for the trip, and Soloman our bus driver for the Johannesburg part of the trip.

Today we learnt about South African time…. It’s loose and no one is ever late, just delayed! The short drive to our accommodation was 90mins or so! The trip began with learning about South African culture & history and it started on night one as the boys got into the music and congo dancing at dinner! We were not expecting that on night 1 after a long day of travelling! Little did we know that this set the scene for the rest of the trip and their willingness to embrace all that was going to come their way.

The following day we spent in Soweto. Soweto – South Western Townships of Johannesburg, home of the largest black urban complex and where the residents were at the forefront of the uprising of equality during the apartheid era. We started our journey through Soweto in a local market area tasting local food, cows head with pap (maize polenta) and broth. Our guide Sipto, constantly giving us the history of the area. Nearly everyone tasted the cow’s head! We continued the day through multiple museums dedicated to apartheid era, Nelson Mandela and his impact on the country. It included a visit to Nelson Mandela’s house, where he lived with Winnie and she continued to live when he was sent to prison. We were also treated to some amazing street performers. That night we had dinner at a local restaurant where we quickly learned that South Africans like their music loud! With dinner came more dancing and socialising with the locals. The boys fully immersed themselves!

The boys presented Sipto with a St Mary’s singlet which he wore with pride! He even sent the boys a video of him dancing which they watched before their first footy match!

The wildlife that is symbolic of Africa was on offer at both a Lion safari park and wilderness safari. We were lucky enough to see the lions being fed in the park (only fed twice per week) and a cheetah up close! The safari through Pilanesberg national park and game reserve gave meaning to a Zebra crossings! We also managed to sight white lipped Rhinoceros, elephants on their own and in a herd, springbok, wilder beasts, giraffe, impalas, Kori bustard (heaviest flying bird) and banded mongoose.  What an experience to see these animals in the wild.

First footy game came on Monday and the boys were pumped to meet the South African players and play the game they all love.  The game started with the national anthem being sung by both teams. The South Africans sing it in 4 languages, the last being in English. It turns out this happens at the start of every game. There are a lot of photos taken of both teams at the start and finish and lots of celebratory singing. This included a great rendition of the St Mary’s theme song by our boys!

The temperature was around 35-37 degrees. It was imperative that we got some water and electrolytes for the boys, cold towels to keep them cool when they were off. Playing in that temperature is a bit different to the winters of Victoria! The game was a fine display of football teamwork, football skills and sportsmanship. Benno coached the South Africans and even played for them for some of the game. Our boys took this as a good opportunity to practice their tackles on Benno with gusto!

Ace and Kyen were announced the captains. Great sportsmanship was on display and St Mary’s would be proud of the football game delivered by our boys. At the conclusion of the U18’s game, the U17’s from South Africa were keen for a run around so the boys, despite being fatigued, hot and hungry, didn’t hesitate to get back out there and play another 25 mins of football.

On another day after an early start (post Safari) we arrived at a School in Rustenburg to a dirt footy oval around 11am (already 35 degrees)  to deliver a footy clinic. Jarryd and Benno quickly got the boys sorted and within a few minutes drills were being run, goal kicking practice all whilst a rogue goat wandering onto the dirt oval. There were smiles all round.

The water is scarce at this school and in summer especially, not a blade of grass to be found on the footy oval. This did not stop any of the players! We finished this clinic with a tour of the school. It was very warm in the class room, no air conditioning, not enough seats or desks for everyone as 60 -70 kids per class room. The students or learners as South Africans call them, arrive at 7 am, get breakfast offered at 7.30am, cooked lunch provided at 10.30am and 2pm school finishes. The South African learners have so much respect for the teachers and this was shown on multiple occasions!

The major footy clinic that was run was moved to a school owned by the mining company and was starkly different to that of the local schools. Clearly a watering system in place as multiple ovals and all had grass on them. We watched bus after bus arrive and in the end there were approximately 200 South African girls and boys, dressed in whatever sport they played (netball, rugby, soccer and AFL) uniform. This is when our boys stood up and ran an amazing footy clinic for these children. We were all very proud of the display of leadership, coaching and encouragement delivered by the boys led by Benno & Garns.

The clinic was followed by a competitive game of football against the U18’s, although some of the South Africa team may have been a bit older! The second half of the game, teams were mixed up so that our boys played with South Africans. It was fun to watch.

The footy component of the trip was finalised with a not so formal dinner at a local school where we were honored along with teachers, Department of education representatives, SA AFL coaches and hosts of the trip. Again lots of dancing by both the South African players and umpires and our boys. Our boys presented their playing jumpers to SA AFL and finished with a dance to say thank you to the South Africans. A fine display of the Nutbush by our boys!

Part of this trip included a visit to a hospice. St Catherine’s Hospice which is a nursing home to the elderly.  It was originally set up for HIV and TB patients, but as the need for this has declined, it is now for elderly and sick, including Alzheimer’s patients. The people that run it are very passionate about caring for the elderly and sick. Our boys, who have been running a fines system, donated $1000 of the fines money to the hospice plus each person donated an additional $20. This brought tears to the eyes of the lady running the centre with the comment, ‘now electricity can be paid’. Additionally, the group donated bags of hats, pens, pencils and clothes that could be distributed throughout the community.

At the conclusion of the Football component, it was time to head to Cape Town! On arrival we had a new bus driver, Vivienne and guide Godfrey! Cape town provided a time for some local market shopping, a morning out at a Toboggin park – Cool Runnings, no more buffet meals and a physical challenge. One of the new natural wonders of the world, Table Mountain has an amazing climb to the top. On the day we were scheduled we had Darby out with gastro so he stayed at a hotel to recover, Kai still recovering from his eye injury so he caught the cable car up with our grandparent Alan. The rest set off for 3.7km climb, total ascent 715m straight up climbing. We had some resident hikers, fit young boys and people who had never done something like this before. We had perfect weather and were rewarded with epic views across Cape Town. It was amazing! A definite highlight and achievement.

To round off the Nelson Mandela history we caught the ferry out to Robben Island and had a tour of the prison where he spent 8 years in solitary confinement and began writing his book. On the island we managed to see some African penguins which was pretty special.

There is only one way to spend your final night of a tour, and that is with Karaoke! Thanks to Mitchell’s Scottish Ale House for giving us our space for dinner and Karaoke. The king of Karaoke, Benno got everyone up and going so no one didn’t sing, be it individually or in a group. We had some absolute superstars, but what was fabulous was watching everyone having a go and being supported and encouraged by the crowd! What a way to finish our trip in South Africa with just the long 30 hour journey home to come.

This group of young men were respectful of the culture, of their adult traveling companions and the locals each and every day. It was a privilege to be a part of the life experiences that we were exposed to. Feelings of gratitude to be able share this with all of the boys that had been entrusted to the adults attending the trip. There was so much fun, laughter, memory making moments and shared experiences that has created genuine relationships in a short amount of time.

South Africa is a country of contrasts. We witnessed absolute wealth and abject poverty.
People of privilege, and those working hard, just to survive and kids happy with next to nothing.

The weather was unrelenting heat in the north, tempered by nightly thunder storms, and a more varied but settled climate in the south. Ultimately the friendships forged, genuine relationships made, experiences that will never be forgotten leaves us all with a feeling that we have just been on a trip of a lifetime.

A word from the coaches, Jarryd & Harry

The 2024 South African culture trip began for us roughly 6 weeks before we jetted off to Johannesburg via taking a short skills training session once a week for 6 weeks with the aim to form a connection with the group before the trip.

It was over this 6 weeks we realised what a great group we had and how much they were going to embrace each other while away. The difference in connection between night 1 and night 6 was clearly visible however it still has nothing on what we were about to see a few weeks later.

From day 1 in South Africa everyone embraced the culture, asked questions, listened and looked out for each other. Whether it be helping a parent with their luggage, teaching young South African kids the way we play Australian Rules at a clinic or walking in groups in a potentially dangerous part of town, we could not have been more proud of how the boys represented themselves and St Mary’s.

Playing footy was a secondary part of the trip for us, but seeing the potential on the boys while playing against South Africa gave us confidence the St Mary’s Sporting Club has a lot to look forward to with this group. It was their leadership, determination and hunger to get better that impressed us most and all those traits were displayed not only in games, but across the whole two weeks.

Thank you to all the parents with organising, fundraising and much more which made this trip possible. Much like the boys, we feel so lucky to have had such an amazing group of parents to experience South Africa with and including boys we feel like we have 31 more lifelong friends to share stories with in the future. 

For us , it was a trip of a lifetime and something we will never forget. We could easily list a number of highlights but for us there is nothing better than seeing these young boys mature in front of your eyes. The connection that has been formed from this experience will lay a great foundation for their next year with St Mary’s but even more importantly the life skills that they picked up are invaluable.

Thank you to everyone involved,

Harry & Jarryd