When it comes to a brush with fame, few people have as good a story to tell as Koroit's Zavier Longmore.
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The 12-year-old was part of a select few who sat in on a zoom meeting with Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.
But not only was Zavier on the call, he was well and truly in the thick of it, getting to ask questions of the team McLaren driver.
"I asked him what was the fastest he has ever gone and how long has he being driving for," Zavier said.
The answer to the top speed Ricciardo has reached was an impressive 373km/h.
"He (Daniel) was really nice, he was very happy to be talking to us.
"It was great to have a chat, I really like the Hands on Learning and he was really interested in it."
Zavier's access to Ricciardo came about through their mutual involvement in the school-based Hands on Learning program.
Hands on Learning was part of Zavier's year six studies at Koroit and District Primary School during 2021.
He was joined on the Zoom call by one Hands on Learning student from Tasmania and New South Wales, and his mother Camille.
Ricciardo is ambassador for charity Save the Children, which the Hands On Learning program is part of.
Ricciardo said he had come on board as ambassador because he believed the program's hands-on approach played an important role in keeping children engaged at school.
"As someone who struggled a bit to remain engaged at school, I'm really excited to be able to tell my personal story to encourage, inspire and support young people to build the social and emotional skills to achieve and succeed at school," Ricciardo said.
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Hands on Learning school support manager for south-west Victoria Leon Carey said Ricciardo's commitment was great news.
"It was a fantastic end to a challenging year," Mr Carey said.
"The students in Hands on Learning can relate to Daniel with his down to earth nature and genuine interest in the program.
"Daniel was very generous with his time (on the Zoom) and we appreciate his commitment to the Hands on Learning program."
Hands on Learning is operational in 22 schools in south-west Victoria - including primary, secondary and specialist schools.
There are more than 120 schools engaged in the program across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.
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