Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist labels WA Cricket inspirational at autism come-and-try day
Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist says WA cricket has become an inspiration as he helped out at a come-and-try day for children with autism.
Hundreds of youngsters flooded the WACA with enthusiasm on Saturday as WA Cricket united with Autism WA to give more than 200 kids the opportunity to enjoy a day out at the iconic ground.
In the sixth year of the annual event, numbers have grown from under 100 to more than 200, and Ambassador Gilchrist emphasised the importance of the day.
“It’s just so important to let families with children with autism know there is a community within the broader cricket family that is welcoming and has skills to help support them with their needs to just to make them feel accepted into a club situation,” he said.
“It’s not just about the kids playing the game and having fun. It’s also about a nice environment and it being safe for the parents and siblings to come along and just be a part of the club that so many of us take for granted.
“To know I can still come along and still be part of the broader cricket family and hopefully make an impact on other people’s lives is a feeling experience; you get more out of it than you put into it.”
WA players Sam Greer and Charlie Stobo were on hand to help run the specialist activities, and Gilchrist said these initiatives and the player’s involvement were just one of the ways the current crop is inspiring their communities.
“To listen to any of (WA’s) young men and women speak, and the way they present and what they talk about is inspirational, and it is so much a part of the fabric of West Australian cricket,” he said.
“They represent themselves and WA cricket, so there are so many inspirational characters in there.
“I see it right across the network of the programs within West Australian cricket.”
Participant Andrew Townsend said he’d never pictured himselfplaying cricket before attending the come-and-try day but has now converted his parents into fans as well.
Camera IconHundreds of kids were at the event. Credit: WA Cricket/Supplied
“It’s amazing, it’s like a dream come through,” he said.
“I was never a cricket fan, and then when I came here, just seeing all of the things you can do in cricket, not just you can only bat, it’s so amazing to play lots of different stuff.”
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