Max kicks more goals with punt on footy boots

The young Broome lad who made headlines around the country after donating a pile of used football boots to a remote Kimberley community continues to kick goals in his charitable feat.

As part of a project at his new Melbourne school in April, Max Beadle, 13, handed out 150kg of boots to indigenous children in Bidyadanga, first reported by the Broome Advertiser.

His philanthropy, which involved him collecting worn footwear from sporting clubs and school students, attracted nationwide media attention, including many radio interviews and newspaper articles.

The former Broome Senior High School student completed the next step in his journey last week, when he travelled to the Looma and presented locals with 80 pairs of boots.

Max said he made the choice to continue donating shoes after being inundated with generosity.

“When I put the call out for footy boots in Melbourne, I thought I might only get 25 pairs and when I got 222, I thought that was too many for one small community,” he said.

“Last year I had watched the Looma Eagles win the WKFL premiership in Broome and thought about all the little kids coming up through the ranks and how inspired they must’ve been by the seniors winning.

“I thought it would be good to share the opportunity to play in a pair of boots from a young age with the kids of Looma.”

But Max’s mission of helping kids across the Kimberley does not end with his recent visit to the region.

He was recently invited by his favourite AFL team North Melbourne to visit the football club and collect old boots from current players.

Worldwide river cruising operator Australian Pacific Touring has also jumped on board to help the Broome boy turn the project into an annual collection for Kimberley kids.

Max said he was blown away by how far his small idea had evolved.

“I feel proud and happy to be able to share the opportunity to play footy in a pair of footy boots with these remote kids who don’t have as many experiences as town and city kids,” he said.