Good Yarns

Nautilus Aviation CEO Aaron Finn said it was important to engage with the communities on the islands and in the Northern Territory.

“We spend a lot of time on the islands and in the Northern Territory, and we link communities with major centres, take out essential services and suppliers in our helicopters – we’re engaging on a daily basis with these communities,” he said.

“This year we purchased 100 footballs to distribute from our helicopters to kids in the Torres Strait, East Arnhem Land, and across the Northern Territory.

“Working in conjunction with AFL Cape York and AFL NT, we put their logos on the balls and supplied the kids with pumps as well.”

According to Mr Finn, the donation is part of an initiative to maintain positive relationships, connect with communities, and get kids involved in sport.

“You find that you go out to these remote places and the kids have really old or damaged balls because they don’t get a lot of access to new sporting equipment, so that’s where the whole idea of the football donation came from,” he said.

“We are proud to be associated with AFL Cape York and with AFL in general, and the opportunities they provide to kids from remote communities.”

AFL Cape York General Manager Rick Hanlon said he was grateful to Nautilus Aviation for their support in accessing schools.

“2023 was the first time any football code was able to get to every one of Tagai State College’s 17 campuses across the Torres Strait Islands,” he said.

“AFL Cape York were able to run AFL programs at every campus, and that was thanks to our relationship with Nautilus Aviation and their support for our initiatives in getting kids engaged in sport.”

Mr Hanlon said the relationship between AFL Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands has grown exponentially in the last two to three years.

“This donation of footballs from Nautilus Aviation will further enhance that as we get the game into more locations,” he said.

“We hold really good relationships and work collaboratively with Tagai State College and health services across the Torres Strait, as well as the Torres Strait Island Regional Council and Torres Strait Regional Authority.

“Our team on the ground who go up to the islands have developed a lot of those relationships and connections and rolled out our programs across the Cape York Peninsula, Gulf Savannah, and the Torres Strait islands.”

According to Mr Hanlon, the aim of these AFL programs is to promote the game and get local students involved in physical activity. This fosters teamwork and promotes healthy lifestyles as well as school engagement and an awareness of the pathways and opportunities available to kids through pursuing sport.

“The Nautilus Aviation CEO Aaron Finn has been heavily involved in local AFL, and his support and enthusiasm in helping us to bring AFL to kids in remote communities has been fantastic,” Mr Hanlon said.

“We thank Nautilus Aviation for their ongoing support in bringing these opportunities to young people.”