Bulldogs Young Guns Show Community Spirit

Up and coming Bulldogs players Moses Mbye, Patrick Templeman, Denzil King and Jaelen Feeney typified community spirit on Saturday morning when they attended Bankstown’s (BCRG) Black Santa Christmas Party for local Indigenous Children in the Bulldogs region.

The annual Black Santa event was attended by over 100 families and local elders. It was an adventure filled day with plenty of games, a jumping castle and dancing.

Jaelen’s favourite part of the day was giving gifts to all of the kids. “We gave every child a Bulldogs goodie bag”, said Jaelen. “It was awesome to see the smile on their faces when they received them and the place quickly morphed in to blue and white.”

Moses and Jaelen paid a visit to the face painting station and soon found themselves with creative control of the paintbrushes.

Jaelen explained, “Moses tried to paint a Bulldogs on one of the kids arms but i’m not sure it was too successful so we decided to stick to Spiderman and pirate faces. We are no experts but it was definitely a bit of fun.”

It is not the first weekend Jaelen and Denzil have dedicated to the Community with the boys recently taking part in a two day camp at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern as part of the “How big are your Dreams” program.

During the two day camp for under privileged Indigenous children, Denzil and Jaelen joined twenty students in various workshops and shared their own personal stories with the group.

The workshops over the two days included boxing, footy, painting and dancing, with a strong focus on reconnecting and teaching the kids about their aboriginality and culture.

The camp was an extension of the “Get Black on Ya Feet” program which Jaelen and Denzil have been assisting with throughout the year in local schools and at the Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

“The Get Black on ya feet is all about getting more kids involved in their culture and their tribe, said Jaelen. “The program uses dance and painting to engage the kids and increase their cultural awareness.”

The players have done an outstanding job in the community this year, balancing their community visits with their playing schedules. Their enthusiasm and genuine intentions have been well noted by many in the community.

Congratulations on a great year Denzil, Jaelen, Patrick and Moses!