To say students at Medowie’s Catherine McAuley Catholic College (CMCC) were “pleasantly surprised” by Dylan Lucas’ recent visit is an understatement.

The Newcastle Knights star, who made his State of Origin debut for NSW last month, unexpectedly dropped into the school to find the youngsters putting the finishing touches to their latest project… a venture close to his own heart.

CMCC was chosen to partake in the Boots for Brighter Futures initiative, where a group of senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pupils design and paint the footwear apparel for the local NRL club’s Indigenous Round.

The much-loved First Nations celebration is scheduled from Thursday 6 August to Sunday 16 August, featuring specially-created jerseys and community-focused events.

“We felt very privileged to be asked to participate… and the students were super excited about being able to contribute,” principal Bernard Burgess said.

“They really took on the challenge of knowing the player whose boots [they’re painting] and learning something about their specific Country.

“Several pupils delved pretty deeply into it.

“Whether it was Wiradjuri or Kamilaroi Country or wherever it might have been where the player originated from.

“They just wanted to know what it was like, how it might be particularly special to the player, before trying to incorporate it on the artwork.”

For Year 12 student Laura Chang, the “shock” appearance of Lucas was extremely poignant.

The Knights’ back-rower is the subject of her artwork.

“Laura was being interviewed about it when Dylan walked through the door,” Mr Burgess told the Newcastle Weekly.

“Everyone’s eyes just lit up.

“It was such a real delight for the kids to have him there in person.

“They had a chat with him.

“And, he listened to why she was painting his boots the way she was.

“That will add to the excitement when Laura sees him wearing them on the day.

“Dylan’s a real genuine character and was invested in the process.

“He really listened intently to why the pupils were doing the paintings they were doing on the boots… and the connection for them as players to their Country.

“I think, in some way, he probably got as much out of it as what the kids did.”

Mr Burgess admitted the job wasn’t over for the artistic Catherine McAuley Catholic College contingent… just yet.

“I believe there’s a reception prior to Knights’ match over in the Centre of Excellence,” he said.

“I’m not sure if the students will present the boots, but they’ll certainly be there to let each player know why they’ve painted them the way they have. 

“At the end of the day, it was lovely to be invited to play a role in Boots for Brighter Futures.

“The beauty of it, for our kids, is we’ve literally just opened our cultural centre at CMCC.

“That’s a classroom dedicated to Indigenous and other cultures for students to gather.

“And, it’s where the artwork happened.”

Newcastle tackles the Gold Coast Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday 16 August.

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