""When we got to the Peace Park at Hiroshima, you could not help but make the effort to have a look at what was there and take in what had happened,"" he said.
As part of Essendon’s Leadership and Development trip to Japan, the 14-man group travelled to the site of the August 6 bomb blast where the resultant fireball annihilated the city of Hiroshima in a matter of seconds. Almost 130,000 people were killed, injured or declared missing as 90 per cent of the city was levelled.
The Peace Park left a permanent mark on the entire group.
""We got off the tram at the Peace Park and there was half a building that had its bricks burnt from the bomb blast. It was not what I was expecting at all,"" said Welsh.
""Walking around the park and looking at the museum, I didn’t realise before hand the extent to which it wiped out the area and the number of people that were affected.""
The experience of taking part in the tour of the Peace Park was something Welsh says he will never forget.
""It opens your eyes more to experiencing different things. Probably the main one is that even though you’re pretty happy in your own little bubble, don’t leave it at that - keep learning and keep being a student of the game and a student of life.""
For Essendon assistant coach Dean Wallis the Japan experience was the most defining camp he had ever been on in his 18 years of football.
Wallis said he went to Japan with a clear mind and with no real expectations. His mindset clearly changed when he visited the Hiroshima Peace Park.
""To go to the remembrance statue where all the kids that had been killed in Hiroshima was probably when it hit home because I have got children of my own,"" Wallis said.
""When we got into the museum itself we spent the first two hours reading everything that was on the walls and on display.""
""It got to the point where I read the Russians that had built a bomb that was going to be 3,300 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and they could land them from 2,200 kilometres away.""
""As I read this I looked and saw out of the corner of my eyes a big world map and all I saw was a picture of Australia. From that stage on I became homesick and I just wanted to get home to my family and my kids,"" admitted Wallis.
While Wallis said that the Peace Park was very emotional, he said that it had a certain aura to it, as if it was meant to be such a peaceful place all of the time.
He also admitted that he didn’t see all of the museum, saying that it made him realise that every day you live is a bonus.
""I didn’t see the second half of the museum because I had seen enough and realised we’re lucky enough to live in a country like Australia. I walked out and rang home because I wanted speak to my kids,"" said Wallis.
Wallis believes the players and staff that went on the trip got different things out of the visit to Hiroshima.
Andrew Welsh was impressed with the way in which the Japanese people rebuilt Hiroshima to what it is today.
""To see what they had gone through and what they have done since the bomb went off and to get back up off their feet and not feel sorry for themselves was a tribute to their people,"" he said.
For Wallis there was one lasting impression of his time at the Hiroshima Peace Park.
""There was a watch on display and it had the time that the bomb had gone off in Hiroshima. It had been collected from the debris after the explosion and the quote underneath,"" he said.
""That was one thing that really stood out for me, that one minute we could be sitting in the park with the kids or we could be playing a game of football and then all of sudden it’s all over, we’re gone.""
""You just don’t know what’s around the corner, it’s a pretty ruthless world we live in and that’s why I say every day we live is a bonus.""
