By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
ADAM Keating always wants to “get out and have go.”
These are the words of his Endeavour Hills dad, Mick, who on Sunday took his son fishing with motorcycle icon Casey Stoner and fishing TV personality Paul Worsteling as part of the popular Mates Day on the Bay event near Patterson River.
The annual event, started in 1999 by the Futurefish Foundation and hosted by Lynette and Trevor Hogan, provides people with disabilities with an opportunity to enjoy their morning fishing in Port Phillip.
Adam, 21, suffers from a mild intellectual disability and arthrogryposis – congenital joint contractures in the muscles below his waist – which makes him unable to stand up without leg splints.
“He gets out there and has a go, he plays wheelchair basketball,” Mick said.
“He likes to do things; it’s just good for him.
“I’ve always taught him to have a go at something, try it and if you don’t like it, that’s fine.
“Adam encourages others, too, he’ll tell them ‘well done’ and that sort of thing.”
But even considering how outgoing Adam is, even in his wildest dreams the young man wouldn’t have pictured himself on a boat, fishing with Casey Stoner.
“He was just blown away,” Mick said of his son.
“Casey was brilliant and Paul was a good host on the boat and made sure all the lines were out.
“It was really good. Casey was a good laugh.”
And Mick said without the help of the all the volunteers who assist with the event, Mates Day on the Bay wouldn’t be as successful as it continues to be.
“So many volunteers put in their time, it’s just amazing,” he said.
“To see the pleasure these kids and adults get from it, they don’t even have to catch a fish, just to be there is fantastic for them.
“The volunteers do a tremendous job. The people who provide their boats and their time, all the bait and tackle, these are the people who make it work.”
