New CSAs with Melbourne Football Club and Milpa the Goanna
Behind the scenes filming the new CSAs in Nyirripi community
Earlier this year, Milpa the Goanna, together with players from the Melbourne Football Club (MFC), travelled to Nyirripi community in the Northern Territory and filmed a new set of community service announcements (CSAs).
Located about 440 km north-west of Alice Springs, Nyirripi is home to the Nyirripi Demons, and some of the most passionate MFC supporters you’ll ever meet! These short videos promote trachoma and eye health prevention messages for children, supporting the ‘Clean Faces, Strong Eyes’ campaign and ‘Milpa’s Six Steps to Stop Germs’.
The kids of Nyirripi behind the scenes filming CSAs with Milpa the Goanna and MFC's Ricky Mentha and Jack Viney
Jack Viney, Kate Hore (MFC AFLW Captain), Jake Lever and Ricky Mentha Jr, a new MFC recruit from the NT, arrived in community with big smiles and were greeted with a warm and enthusiastic welcome.
Produced by MFC and Minum Barreng, the CSAs feature the MFC players with footage from other community visits. The videos share simple but important trachoma prevention messages, including face washing, and broader eye health messages, including the importance of regular eye checks, to help keep kids eyes strong and stop the spread of germs.
During the filming, the kids of Nyirripi gathered around the cameras, watching every move as the MFC players and Milpa acted out the ‘Clean Faces, Strong Eyes’ steps. Some of the children asked eagerly, ‘Can I be on TV?’ Despite the heat putting pressure on the camera gear, filming was a great success!
CSA's feature MFC players (L-R): Ricky Mentha, Jack Viney, Kate Hore and Jake Lever.
The CSAs will be broadcast on Imparja Television and ICTV, reaching communities across Central Australia, the NT and beyond.
This work builds on a 10+ year partnership between MFC and Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit, in efforts to eliminate trachoma and promote strong eye health.
‘Thank you again for your assistance with creating some great CSAs’ said Sebastian Mueller, MFC Community Coordinator. ‘I’m sure that they will be a big hit and help spread the health messaging to eliminate trachoma in the NT’.
Special thanks to the MFC players and staff for the new CSAs and to the children and community members for joining Milpa to demonstrate how to stop trachoma.
Watch the CSAs in the ‘Multimedia’ section on our website
Read more MFC and Minum Barreng community engagement related articles: Nyirripi Trip – February 2025 and Mparntwe with Melbourne Football Club