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Speaker 1: David Walk from Operation Flinder's good morning to you. Good morning, Matthew,

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Speaker 1: thank you for hosting me up there last weekend. Just amazing.

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Speaker 2: It was our pleasure.

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Speaker 3: We're always happy to show off our program to anyone

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Speaker 3: that's interested.

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Speaker 1: And such good work. As you've been listening all week,

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Speaker 1: you've heard some of the kids come on and talk

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Speaker 1: about their experiences and just the fact they face challenges

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Speaker 1: and wanting to push outside the boundaries.

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Speaker 3: It's brilliant, well one hundred or so that we've got

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Speaker 3: up there at the moment, matthew've certainly experienced the full

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Speaker 3: gamut of experiences we have up there, from the high

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Speaker 3: ropes and the ab sail through to a couple of

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Speaker 3: the things we keep up ass leave, and of course

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Speaker 3: the experience with that elders.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and spoke to them too, and they were wrapped

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Speaker 1: to hear the stories the kids were relating back that

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Speaker 1: I told them about what kids had said to me

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Speaker 1: about looking forward to the Kangaroo tale stew that they've

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Speaker 1: been preparing about, looking forward to the smoking ceremonies and

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Speaker 1: looking forward to learning more about especially one boy who

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Speaker 1: said it really resonated with him hearing the motto if

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Speaker 1: you like the adage that if you look after the land,

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Speaker 1: the land will look after you, and they took that

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Speaker 1: to heart as they were walking around through there.

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Speaker 3: It's one of the pleasures of the whole experience to

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Speaker 3: have people sitting with the Adnamtner elders for the first

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Speaker 3: time for many of them, to meet an elder from

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Speaker 3: any mob, but to sit with our people, and I

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Speaker 3: say our as in the collective, we feel very much

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Speaker 3: a partnership with Adnamtner. To sit with our people and

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Speaker 3: understand that the relationship with the country, the dream Time

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Speaker 3: stories is probably my favorite aspect of that little experience

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Speaker 3: for them and as a delight.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, indeed, so we're to now, so ten thousand kids

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Speaker 1: thirty three years once. Your target for the next ten thousand,

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Speaker 1: We haven't been.

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Speaker 3: So bold as has said something like that, but I

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Speaker 3: know at the moment we're dealing with about eight hundred

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Speaker 3: young people this year alone, so I'd say we will

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Speaker 3: march towards the next ten thousand very quickly. But the

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Speaker 3: truth of it is, the demand is out there. There's

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Speaker 3: no shortage of people looking for what we offer, and

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Speaker 3: we're only too happy to provide the service.

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Speaker 1: We can okay one of the stories, and Kim related

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Speaker 1: it in the audio I just played not long ago

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Speaker 1: about the birthday cake or the cake ceremony at the

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Speaker 1: very end on the last day, where a cake is

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Speaker 1: taken out to each group, and the fact that for

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Speaker 1: some of these kids, they've never had a cake before

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Speaker 1: for a birthday, for anything, and that's just unbelievable to

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Speaker 1: think what life must be like for some people.

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Speaker 3: It's certainly unbelievable for us. Yeah, but for the young

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Speaker 3: people that we're dealing with, the opportunity to celebrate doesn't

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Speaker 3: come along too often, and have their birthday celebrated by

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Speaker 3: people they're not familiar with is something that really takes

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Speaker 3: them by surprise. But we're really strong on making sure

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Speaker 3: there's opportunities to really let them know we care, that

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Speaker 3: we listen to them, and then we'll do everything we

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Speaker 3: can to enhance their future prospects.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so that is pretty powerful in itself. Do you

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Speaker 1: ever hear from kids in the part? I know some

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Speaker 1: of the volunteers are related stories where they've bumped into

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Speaker 1: someone who's been on the camp and they're wearing the

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Speaker 1: up flinders, and I think Paul, the commander up there,

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Speaker 1: made the point that he was flying to Adelaide one

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Speaker 1: particular time and he was wearing the opp Flinder's jacket

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Speaker 1: and the stewardess thanked him for what Flinder's had done

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Speaker 1: for her son. So there are people out there with stories.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely well, when there's ten thousand by a large South Australians,

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Speaker 3: the spread of that becomes pretty quick when you think, well,

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Speaker 3: everyone's got a parent or two, Everyone's got other people

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Speaker 3: in their network that have been impacted by the experience

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Speaker 3: of the young person, whether it's their local team, whether

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Speaker 3: it's their peers, whether it's their brothers and sisters. So

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Speaker 3: the spread goes far and wide very quickly, and it's

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Speaker 3: a delight and it's a real privilege that we have

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Speaker 3: the reputation that we do. And it's always a pleasure

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Speaker 3: to wear an op Flinder's top shopping or through them

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Speaker 3: all or wherever our people go to have someone stop them.

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Speaker 3: And invariably, not every time, but invariably it's a story

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Speaker 3: of success and triumph.

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Speaker 1: We're to beyond this. And I know what you said

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Speaker 1: about the kids, but you need the finances.

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Speaker 2: Clearly.

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Speaker 1: There might be people listening who say, well, I can't

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Speaker 1: afford cash, but maybe I can't afford time, I'm retired.

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Speaker 1: Whatever do you need certain skills? Do you just need

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Speaker 1: volunteers to team leaders? What do you need?

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Speaker 3: I'd like to think that the people that would choose

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Speaker 3: to become involved with us, we'll find a niche for

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Speaker 3: them that suits their skill set. So if someone's a

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Speaker 3: former trade, of course we'll find them doing things that

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Speaker 3: enhances our offering.

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Speaker 2: They also uses what they have to offer.

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Speaker 3: If someone's been an administrator throughout their professional career or

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Speaker 3: then we'll.

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Speaker 2: Utilize those skills as well.

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Speaker 3: So we wouldn't want to fix ourselves on a particular

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Speaker 3: type of person. Essentially, they need.

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Speaker 2: To be good people.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and we're pretty strong on that.

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Speaker 2: We're very strong on that.

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Speaker 3: We like to have great people involved with this and

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Speaker 3: that creates a terrific environment for everyone.

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Speaker 1: And you know, you might think, well, I don't actually

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Speaker 1: think I could walk twenty k's a day or help out,

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Speaker 1: you know, sleep in a cold, damp environment, and sometimes

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Speaker 1: it's the case, but they don't have to do it.

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Speaker 1: Then they might think, well, I'm kind of pointless because

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Speaker 1: I can't help out. But you might be a carpenter

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Speaker 1: or be really handy hands on with I don't know,

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Speaker 1: fixing something mechanically, and you need all those people absolutely well.

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Speaker 3: I'd have to say that most of the young people

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Speaker 3: don't think they can do it before they actually go

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Speaker 3: there as well. So, but in terms of the type

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Speaker 3: of adults so we'd love to have involved with this,

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Speaker 3: the essential thing is they got to be good people,

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Speaker 3: and they've got to have some empathy for who were

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Speaker 3: about and align with our values. And we work out

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Speaker 3: pretty quickly whether someone's with us or not, and let's

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Speaker 3: see what we can get together and do some great work.

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Speaker 3: Because there's satisfaction.

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Speaker 2: How volunteers get.

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Speaker 1: It means yeah, it is. And I could see that

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Speaker 1: for sure out there and speaking to people. There was

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Speaker 1: one man who told me, just like a family being here,

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Speaker 1: you catch up and you see people once in a

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Speaker 1: while as they go up for the camps, and it's

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Speaker 1: just like picking up where we left off, and it

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Speaker 1: is a family environment. And I felt that sitting down

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Speaker 1: for dinner on the Saturday night up there in your

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Speaker 1: messile that it was very much like that, that people

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Speaker 1: know each other and can sit down and chat about

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Speaker 1: whatever it might be, and it is like a family.

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Speaker 3: Well there's certainly a bond between in our volunteers. It

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Speaker 3: goes on for many years, and once you've experienced what

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Speaker 3: we have to offer, once you've seen the impact on

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Speaker 3: young people, and you've shared some stories, and you've shared

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Speaker 3: some hardship and some tears, and there's all that, all

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Speaker 3: the emotions come into it, there's a bond that isn't broken.

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Speaker 1: There are some people and I've had texts this week

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Speaker 1: so I've been playing the Operation Flinder's interviews, people saying

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Speaker 1: wouldn't it have been good for the kids that marry

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Speaker 1: and shopping center the other night to have gone on

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Speaker 1: the course, And it probably would have been before they

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Speaker 1: got into trouble a bit too late.

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Speaker 3: Now, No, absolutely not, So I'd have to confess to

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Speaker 3: thinking of that sort of thing off on.

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Speaker 2: Myself, Matthew.

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Speaker 3: Whether it's the Porto Gusta situation, whether it's the kids

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Speaker 3: at Marion or kids you see on the street that

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Speaker 3: don't seem to have much direction. Now that's not their fault.

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Speaker 3: A lot of them come from an environment where they

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Speaker 3: don't have great models and they don't have people in

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Speaker 3: their lives that can guide them in the right direction.

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Speaker 2: So certainly not their fault.

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Speaker 3: I wouldn't want to be assuming that people are bad

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Speaker 3: the case, but we would like to think that essentially

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Speaker 3: we're an intervention program, preferably before they find themselves in

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Speaker 3: a bit of trouble.

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Speaker 2: But if they have we reckon, we can still.

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Speaker 3: Play a role just straightening them up and understanding that

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Speaker 3: the choices don't have to be towards the bat. We

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Speaker 3: can get them perhaps thinking more about positive.

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Speaker 1: About realizing, and that's what they learn out there, isn't

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Speaker 1: it that there are positives and you push those boundaries

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Speaker 1: and find a way to break through.

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Speaker 3: And it's a beautiful thing just about every time you

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Speaker 3: see someone do the absail or the high ropes that

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Speaker 3: young people are saying I didn't think I was able

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Speaker 3: to do so, to conquer their fears and to achieve

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Speaker 3: something they didn't think was possible is immensely inspiring for

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Speaker 3: all those around them. But importantly, the young person themselves

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Speaker 3: feels worthy and feels perhaps I can, So I take

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Speaker 3: one more step, I can get there.

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Speaker 1: And that's the important message right there. So if people

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Speaker 1: need more info, the website's a good place to start

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Speaker 1: either for donations, are looking to be a volunteer, to

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Speaker 1: contribute in some way.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, Operation Flinders dot Org would be delighted to have

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Speaker 3: if there was just a little bit more, because we

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Speaker 3: were nearly at that tenth and I suppose the two

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Speaker 3: hundred dollars for a.

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Speaker 2: Pair of boots. That's the thing.

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Speaker 3: There's so many young people get up there and don't

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Speaker 3: have the right footwear and being in that environment if

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Speaker 3: you've got poor footwear, I promise it's.

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Speaker 2: A tough week.

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Speaker 3: And it's only the other day that I saw a

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Speaker 3: young person in a jacket the one our staff had

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Speaker 3: given him because he didn't have any clothing.

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Speaker 2: That suited a cold night. So anything is appreciated.

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Speaker 3: But I suppose we'd like to spend about two hundred

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Speaker 3: on boots. And if people want to get involved with this,

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Speaker 3: please please have a look at the website and if

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Speaker 3: you're a good person, we'll find a spot for you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, David, thank you for coming in taking the time again.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for hosting me last week, and Kim to

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Speaker 1: just wonderful to have a look first hand at what

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Speaker 1: you do and get a real appreciation for it. It

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Speaker 1: matched what I was expecting. To be honest, this is

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Speaker 1: pretty much exactly what I saw is what I thought

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Speaker 1: was happening, but real pleasure to see it in real

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Speaker 1: life that we're and see it unfolding, and to hear

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Speaker 1: the stories, particularly the kids. And I've got to say

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Speaker 1: that a couple of teachers I spoke to from one

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Speaker 1: of the state schools and you're a former teacher, just

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Speaker 1: the effort they put in going up every time with

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Speaker 1: groups of kids and then following up with them saying

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Speaker 1: if you ever need us, we're still here at the school.

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Speaker 1: Get in touch. You know, if things go bad for

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Speaker 1: you or even good, let us know. We'd love to

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Speaker 1: hear from you. Such value added service and a couple

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Speaker 1: of blokes who really get it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well it's a delight to be involved and I

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Speaker 3: feel privileged and I really appreciate the time you spent.

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Speaker 2: Matthew, thank you, David, thank you very much. And Kim.

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Speaker 1: Operation Flinders up in of course the Northern Flinders region

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Speaker 1: of South Australia and such good work that they do

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Speaker 1: up there. If you can help them out the website

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Speaker 1: Operation Flinders dot org dot au and you can have

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Speaker 1: a look there how you can contribute, either with a

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Speaker 1: donation or with your time. They would love to hear

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Speaker 1: from you,