Kids show heart and sole

Work boots, gumboots and shoes of all colours and sizes were handed over for regional communities last month.

Comet Bay Primary School in Secret Harbour partnered with WA Police to collect shoes for six remote indigenous communities in the East Pilbara.

Hundreds of shoes and boots were handed over to Marble Bar’s Sen. Sgt Todd D’Souza at a special assembly.

The initiative was run by the school’s student councillors, who spent seven weeks promoting the program and encouraging students to bring in boots and shoes.

Principal Matthew Osborne said it was good for the children to give back to the community and to kids who were not as fortunate as them.

“It’s been really pleasing to see the community support the initiative,” he said.

“They’re really keen to help.”

Sgt D’Souza began working in Marble Bar in January and noticed the children were not playing sport and had no shoes, so he started a football program and reached out to Comet Bay PS.

“In Marble Bar alone, there were 38 school students and on average only five of them wore shoes to school,” he said.

“I was a P&C member here and knew Matt because my kids went to school here, so I said to him ‘do you want to do boots in the bush?’ and he said ‘absolutely’.

“This is perfect — the kids will just love it.”