Rural and Remote Programs

Carey Right Track runs several rural and remote programs throughout the year, principally in the Mid-West region of Western Australia.

Remote Schools’ Athletics Programs

Carey Right Track’s School Athletics programs aims to empower and give a voce to the young people in the communities they serve.   

 The programs, run by volunteers from Canning District Athletics Club, are offered in communities across the Mid West region including Meekatharra; Cue; Mt Magnet and Yalgoo. They give a safe and positive environment for children in these communities to participate in athletics.

 Carey Right Track is currently working on further ways to partner with organisations offering football, basketball and other sports as a way of creating a critical mass of activity in each community. The hope is to expand these programs to further regions and to build on the deep community links already created.

Remote Athletics Community Programs

Community programs have been run in the April and October school holidays in and around Meekatharra since 2013.

 Current programs are initiate and in partnership with local organisations including Meekatharra Youth Services; Meekatharra council; Buttah Windee Community; Department of Sport & Recreation.

 This approach enables local communities and organisations with specialised expertise of all sizes to partner with each other in their areas of strength.

Crossover Remote Indigenous Exchange

The Crossover Remote/Indigenous exchange provides the opportunity to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous high school students from remote communities and the city for five days in Perth.

 The program brings together educational; sporting; arts; life skills; social activities and post school educational opportunities to inspire and widen the views of participants.

For some students on Crossover, it will be there first visit to Perth. It helps children from rural and remote areas build on the relationships they have established with Carey Right Rack volunteers they have met in their own communities though the Remote Schools Athletics Programs and Remote Athletics Community Programs.

 Athletics Internships

Carey Right Track will be appointing up to three interns in 2020.

Interns will be empowered to provide healthy, meaningful and purposeful engagement with their communities. Over the course of the year, interns will work on their own athletic development goals with the support of a mentor. Interns will complete the Athletics Australia Coaching Qualification and First Aid training.

 Interns will be required to commit one day per week during each school term to study, online mentoring and structured volunteer activities. They will meet regularly with an athletics or community mentor either in person, by phone or online. Interns are invited to attend two camps in Perth throughout the year.

 Carey Right Track will set aside up to $4,000 per intern to cover the out-of-pocket expenses of the program including travel and accommodation, course fees, equipment and education resources.

Each Internship is designed to provide a clear pathway towards further study or viable employment opportunities. Carey Right Track will work with Carey Baptist Colleges and other supporting organisations to ensure pathways to further education or employment are identified at the conclusion of the internship. For example, interns would be qualified to transition to run After School Athletics programs in their communities that currently attract funding from the Australian Sports Commission.

 For more information about the Carey Right Track Internship program, please contact us.

Banksia Athletics Mentoring

Affectionately known as BAM, the Banksia Athletics program has been operating the Banksia Hill Detention Centre in conjunction with the Department of Justice in Western Australia since 2014.

 Not everyone we encounter is in a good place. The Banksia Athletics Mentoring program enable young people in Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre an opportunity to develop their athletic potential as athletes, coaches and leaders, to reflect on their past, to understand and explore their identity and life choices and plan forward in a safe and encouraging environment with a mentor.

The program started in 2014 and today equips teams of both boys and girls from Banksia Hill with skills, networks and support all aimed to significantly reduce the chance of reoffending.

The current program is offered over ten weeks and encompasses activities and information including art; culture; anger management; racism; goal setting and much more.

Carey Right Track Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that forms part of the Carey group.

 Carey Right Track was established in 2010 by Carey Baptist College through the dedication of one teacher Graeme Watson.

 Graeme – Watto to his mates -- wanted to do something to help Aboriginal people, particularly those living in rural and remote parts of Western Australia, who were looking for direction and purpose in their lives.  

 Graeme, an accomplished former athlete and now coach, recognised the natural but so often underdeveloped raw talent many Aboriginal people possess. He knew that athletics could be a powerful way to bring lasting change to individuals and even whole communities.

Graeme is passionate about bringing change that will sustain for generations to come. This means there are no short cuts. Programs don’t bring change. People do and relationships and trust takes time to build. 

 Carey Right Track Foundation is governed by the same board who oversee the organisations that make up the Carey group.

The following people are a key part of the success of the Carey Right Track Foundation.

Board members are: 

• Charmaine Hugo (Chair)

• Michael Crouch

• Roger Lee

• Ellis Taylor

• Leanne Watson

• Tania Watson

• Chris White