WHEN Sydney Swans pair Kristin Thornton and Daniel Currie walked into the children’s ward of the Coffs Harbour Health Campus yesterday there was no hiding the excitement of some of the kids that were there.
Eight year-old Deegan Ward had been waiting all afternoon for the AFL stars to arrive and when the duo walked up to his bed there was no hiding the joy that the cystic fibrosis sufferer had.
Ward suddenly forgot all about his chest infection as the 200cm tall Currie ducked his head to walk through the door followed by the jovial Thornton.
Both of the players arrived in Coffs Harbour yesterday with fellow Swans’ teammates Jude Bolton and the newly drafted Sam Reid for two days of spreading the word on the Coffs Coast.
The Swans have sent groups of four players to several locations around the State as part of the Community Camps program and Coffs Harbour was lucky enough to get a visit from this quartet.
Aside from the hospital visit yesterday, Thornton and Currie spoke to students at both Toormina High and public schools as well as taking them through some of the basics of the game.
Bolton and Reid did the same for the students at Narranga Public and Coffs Harbour High Schools.
Last night all four of them regaled the area’s local AFL volunteers with tales of their career at a special dinner held at Mangrove Jacks.
This morning it is time to head south along the highway where the Swans will help to conduct a round-robin series of matches at Nambucca’s Biffin Sports Complex between the Nambucca, Frank Partridge and Macksville schools.
Before the pair board the plane home this afternoon, Urunga Primary and Orara High will also enjoy a visit from the Sydney boys.