A TEN-year-old student has pocketed one-thousand dollars after winning a regional handball competition run by Camp Australia.<\/p>\n
White Hills Primary School student Malakye Taylor travelled to Geelong on Sunday, 2 May to face-off against 15 other children in his favourite pastime, also known as downball or four-square.<\/p>\n
Camp Australia runs the outside school hours care at White Hills, and Malakye said getting on the court is the best part of the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI eat watermelon, have second snack, go on my computer for a little bit and then come out here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Malakye\u2019s mother Vicki Bullock said her son, who was recently diagnosed with autism, is never without some type of ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has an obsession with balls and has done since he was a baby,\u201d she said. \u201cAnything to do with balls he\u2019s pretty good at. We can\u2019t go anywhere without a ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Bullock said she was proud of Malakye for having fun and making a final, but to win was a shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just said try your hardest and then he won, and it was amazing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Now a local hero, Malakye said he has been \u201cembarrassed\u201d in front of classmates at assemblies but is happy to shout them lunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be happy when I buy them all fish and chips,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The keen Aussie Rules player and Geelong supporter said he\u2019s still not sure exactly what he\u2019ll spend all the cash on but has some things in mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo Geelong hats, a badge with Joel Selwood\u2019s number and face on it, an Xbox, some clothes, and a footy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Camp Australia held 12 regional finals across the country, with Victoria holding three in Melbourne and one in Geelong.<\/p>\n
Four-hundred children participated and Malakye ranked among the top four per cent nationwide.<\/p>\n
In term one, 4600 children participated in Camp Australia\u2019s OSHC handball competitions, and over 9000 competitors played in the autumn holiday program.<\/p>\n
Mrs Bullock said she hopes next year Camp Australia holds a regional competition closer to home, so children that can\u2019t make the trip south don\u2019t miss out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A TEN-year-old student has pocketed one-thousand dollars after winning a regional handball competition run by Camp Australia. White Hills Primary School student Malakye Taylor travelled to Geelong on Sunday, 2 May to face-off against 15 other children in his favourite pastime, also known as downball or four-square. Camp Australia runs the outside school hours care […]<\/p>\n