Perth Wildcats veteran guard Damian Martin and 25-year-old new recruit Mitch Norton took to the court recently for a basketball activity of a special kind.
The activity, which was held at Armadale Arena last Thursday, was organised by The Fathering Project and Parkerville Children and Youth Care.
About 40 students from Gwynne Park and Kingsley primary schools jumped at the opportunity to take part in the free activity, which saw them running up and down the court with the basketball stars and their fathers and father figures.
The Fathering Project spokesperson David Walker said the activity was organised to enable fathers and father figures in the community the chance to spend quality and quantity time with their child.
“We believe that the more engaged a father is with their child, the better the outcomes are for that child,” he said.
Gwynne Park Primary senior teacher Trudy Lague said it was very heartening to watch the positive interactions develop during the activity.
“Generally we would see more mums and nans coming through our school gates and participating in school activities,” she said.
“The Fathering Project is a wonderful initiative that highlights the important and positive role that fathers play in the lives of their children.”
Kingsley Primary principal Matt O’Mara said the school had only recently connected with the project, but they had already witnessed remarkable experiences.
“We jumped at the offer as basketball is a very popular sport at our school,” he said.
“The students really benefit from the conversations they have with their fathers and father figures both before and after the event and the respect they develop.”
