Regional parents pocket up to $500 to help cover travel cost for Senior High School Country Week
Regional parents will be able to pocket up to $500 to help cover the travel cost for their kids to compete in Country Week, which kicked off on Monday.
More than 4000 students from 56 regional high schools have descended on Perth this week to compete in 10 sports including AFL, soccer, netball, basketball, hockey and dance.
The epic competition — which will be held for the 95th year and is a highlight of the calendar for country kids — will run from Monday to Friday.
Education Minister Sabine Winton said families living more than 300km away from Perth would receive a $500 subsidy to help cover the cost of travel and accommodation as part of Labor's $8 million Country Week Assistance Program.
Those living within 300km of Perth will see costs slashed by up to $250.
'It's a significant saving,' Ms Winton said.
'The cost will vary from school to school, not just because of the distance that schools travel, but also about the itinerary that the schools arrange.
'Each school manages their Country Week payments differently; some parents will receive a subsidy from their school for the eligible amount and pay the difference.
'Others will pay up front and be reimbursed by the school the following week.'
School Sports WA president Peter Rickers said without the subsidy, Country Week was expensive for most families.
'We know for sure that there are some schools who are here in entirety because of the assistance program,' he said.
'There are set costs that would involve uniform, accommodation, food ... transport, and some of those things will vary depending on the distance they come.
'You are certainly talking about many hundreds, if not the low thousands (of dollars).'
With a rainy week expected, Ms Winton said Country Week was 'phenomenally popular' and said the student athletes would compete no matter the weather.
'Having been a regional teacher in Western Australia myself, I know that kids from the bush love their sport,' she said.
'They're pretty good at it and I reckon they'll play hail rain or shine.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
AFL 2025; Tom Lynch to face tribunal for striking
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Richmond star Tom Lynch was fined twice and faces up to five weeks on the sidelines for his MCG tantrum after being sent straight to the tribunal. Lynch was reported for striking Adelaide defender Jordan Butts off the ball following a contest between the pair during which he made contact with the head of the Crows defender after a wild swing with his arm. But while the blow glanced off Butts' head, Lynch could still face a hefty ban after being charged with intentional conduct, with severe impact and high contact. The premiership winner also was handed two fines totalling more than $4600, one for engaging in a melee and another for striking. Tom Lynch gets heated. Picture: Mark Stewart Lynch apologised to his teammates and had some sympathy from his coach, Adem Yze, but he was also told there were few excuses for his behaviour. 'He apologised to the group because he knew he let them down just by letting it spill over,' Yze said. '... he's been such a good player at this footy club for a long time. 'He's got white-line fever, and he wants to win.' 'I was going to address it, a couple of reverse free kicks, which was just pure frustration and showing that he cares,' Yze said. 'For him to talk to the group before I even had a chance to talk to them, and then almost put his heart on his sleeve in front of the group, was exactly why he's been the player that he is.' Lynch said the incident was the result of 'frustration' after being manhandled by Adelaide defenders in the mammoth loss. 'I didn't want to cause harm or anything like that. I was just trying to get free or whatever and frustration came out,' Lynch told Seven. 'Clearly … I gave away too many free kicks and it is not good enough as a leader. I thought we were playing pretty well in that second quarter and I pretty much stopped the momentum. Originally published as Richmond forward Tom Lynch has been sent straight to the tribunal for his haymaker at the MCG on Sunday
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Absolutely insane' bicycle kick in local comp goes viral in AFL circles with stunning acrobatic feat
Step aside, Luke Parker. There's a new AFL bicycle kick hero in town. A local footy player has gone viral online after a clip of his gravity defying goal in a local comp. David Johnson from the Emerald Seniors team delivered a spectacular feat on for his side when, instead of taking a mark, he contorted his body to connect with a rapid kick inside 50 on the full and stun opposition side, Healesville Seniors. The opposition can be seen crowding Johnson in the goal square before he wrestles his way through the pack and throws a leg in the air to score the six points, leaving both his teammates and the opposition in shock. Emerald went on to lose the match 30-85, but Johnson's goal was the talk of the town, with the goal being likened to previous Sydney Swans player Parker's shot seven years ago. Parker's bicycle kick in the first round of the 2018 season against the West Coast Eagles quickly went down in AFL circles as one of the great shots and became a contender for goal of the year. Up by 10 points with five and half minutes go in the fourth quarter of the game, Parker produced a moment of brilliance when a kick flew in near West Coasts' goal line. The ball hovering around in the air and with his back to goal, Parker instinctively swung his leg and body just outside the goal square and connected perfectly with the ball, sending it between the sticks. But the footage of the goal over the weekend is arguably an even greater goal than Parker's, given the goalscorer connected with a faster-paced ball coming in rapidly from 50m metres away, and contorting his body all in one swoop to make the instant connection in one touch. Even more impressive is that Johnson was submerged in a sea of defenders blocking his path to the ball whereas Parker had more room to work with. 'This is the sort of goal you kick in your dream to win your team the grand final. Absolutely insane,' one user online wrote in response to the goal. 'Terrible teammates and crowd for not going nuts after seeing that,' another said. 'Definitely not accidental. The bloke who kicked it is an absolute athletic freak,' a third said. A fourth comment read: 'Number 28's reaction starts as arms up 'hey you can't do that' but then halfway he transitions it to a defeated hands on the head 'what the f**k just happened.' Despite the spectacular move, Johnsons Emerald Seniors sit second last on the ladder after their game, with only two wins from 11 games in the Outer East Football Netball competition.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Little-known homeowner side hustle to keep booming in Perth
Perth homeowners have a sporting chance of earning thousands of extra dollars. New research shows that 70 per cent of Australians would travel domestically to watch or play sport, and 21 per cent have Perth on their itinerary. Perth has been the centre of the Australian sporting universe in recent weeks with rugby league's State of Origin, the Matildas and the touring British and Irish Lions all heading to town. That's before the biggest of them all — the Ashes — head to Perth later this year, complete with England's Barmy Army, with all of the visiting fans pouring big money into the State's economy. And, of course, the Dockers and Eagles draw big crowds every week. The survey, by Airbnb, shows soccer is the number sport people travel for, followed by AFL and tennis. One person who has cashed in on the sporting boom is Andrea from Wembley Downs. who rents out part of her house to visiting fans and pocketed thousands of dollars. 'After the children moved out we considered downsizing, but instead converted the extra space into an Airbnb,' she said. Nine months ago Andrea began renting out part of her Wembley Downs home and has since welcomed hundreds of guests who flew to Perth purely to watch sport. Credit: Supplied 'We often get feedback from guests that the location was perfect for them to easily head to their sporting events. 'Being situated close to Perth's biggest stadiums is one of our key selling points, so it wasn't a surprise to welcome plenty of sports fans.' She said the variety of sport-loving guests staying at her home had been a 'lovely surprise'. 'Families come for their children's basketball and netball tournaments, we've had coaches and competitors staying for State athletic meets, guests going to AFL matches and already have guests lined up for the Ashes Test in November,' she said. 'Some may see it as unconventional, to alter your home and share it with travellers, but it's added a lovely layer of experience to our lives.' The research showed a typical host earned $915 over the weekend of the Perth Test against India in November last year. Airbnb country manager Susan Wheeldon told The Sunday Times that despite the cost-of-living crisis, Aussies were still happy to splash cash on sport. Susan Wheeldon. Credit: Supplied 'I think people are still looking for joy in their lives and to be able to get out with mates and to go and see sport,' Ms Wheeldon said. 'Most Aussies grew up playing team sport and watching sport, it is just such a part of the Australian culture . . . there's nothing quite like it.' She said it was also great for hosts. 'Becoming an Airbnb host during these major sporting events is such an easy way to help homeowners to build opposite the cost of their mortgage or the cost of of life in general,' Ms Wheeldon said.
