WHILE Bali, Thailand and Las Vegas seem to be the most popular holiday destinations for footballers, Spencer White took a different path after his first season in the AFL system.
The promising young forward recently ventured into outback Australia to Santa Teresa, a small community near Alice Springs.
White’s mother Debra had been working in the community as a nurse for several months and the 19-year-old White visited for several days.
While he could have simply used the trip to catch up with his mother and have a break from footy, White took the opportunity to bring a bag full of St Kilda merchandise and spread the red, white and black gospel among the Santa Teresa community.
After returning from his trip, White said the appetite for footy among the children of the community was equal to anything he had seen growing up in Melbourne,
“Mum had been away for a few months so I thought I would visit her. I had a bit of time off so I thought I’d check the community out,” White told saints.com.au.
“I went to the school and had a kick with a few of the kids. I sat in a few of the classes with some of the younger kids. They were pretty excited about it, they love their footy up there.”
White handed out St Kilda gear to the eager bunch of young footy fans who instantly became Saints fans.
“They enjoyed it a fair bit because their local team wears red, white and black as well. They were a pretty enjoyable bunch of kids. It’s a pretty small and remote school but the families are pretty close and they’re very enthusiastic,” he said.
White said he had never before been to the Northern Territory and took the time to explore Uluru and King’s Canyon as well.
He said he hoped to return to the area when he got a chance, possibly in the next off-season.
“It’d be good to get back there at some stage. The locals really took me in and made me feel welcome so it was a fantastic experience to have. They kept inviting me back so it’s something I want to do again some time soon,” he said.
White said he found the experience very humbling and was grateful to the Santa Teresa community for accepting him so warmly.
“I’ve found that they are very private people so it is a bit of a privilege to be allowed into their community and for them to welcome me the way they did.”
