Marlungku-kari
Round 9 marks the GDFL’s National Reconciliation Week match between ourselves and the Belmont Lions. This follows the tradition set by the AFL since 2007, where Indigenous players, officials and fans are celebrated and recognised for the cultural contribution to the game and Australian history.
This year we are fortunate enough to have been asked to participate in the round. This has even more significance as our very own senior captain, Dan Measures, is a proud Aboriginal man and has been an integral part in designing guernseys and dresses which will be worn by our senior and reserve footballers and A & B grade netballers on this weekend. Dan worked with Mathew McCubbin, a good friend and artist from Alice Springs on the design, doing an amazing job to complete the artwork and have created something our whole club should be extremely proud to wear for the coming years. Dan and Mathew sought permission for the use of the symbols used from Pirli Pirli (pronounced "Billy Billy"), Dianne Stokes before beginning the process.
Dan and his family are part of the main tribe of the Warumungu (worra-moong-goo) people, the Parte clan, who are located in and around the area of Tennant Creek. His great grandmother was a member of the stolen generation and his grandmother was born in the cottages for the displaced children. The effects of this chapter of Australian history were also felt by Dan’s mother who grew up at a time where the living arrangements were still not quite acceptable for an Australian European husband and an Aboriginal wife to be living together.
”Family means a great deal to myself, which led to the design idea for the jumpers. The symbol on the back comes from a Warumungu word "Marlungku-kari" (mar-loong-koo-curry) which means a place belonging to families. I feel this encapsulates a sporting club where people come together to form a tight knit community in which we rely on each other for support, motivation, and inspiration (much like a family).”
“The patterns leading to and away from the symbol recognise that we all come together from different places and walks of life to form our community.”
“The Indigenous round allows us to recognise Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal contributions to the game. But to me it also means we can recognise all different cultures and through sport we can create a safe place free of discrimination where individuals are valued and can gain a sense of belonging. I hope the entire Bannockburn club, be it players, staff, or supporters can come away from the round with a sense of pride and connection that they are part of a diverse and supportive community.”
Scott Penning, our club president, also recongnises the significance of our involvement in this weekend’s celebrations. “National Reconciliation is a significant week. A round that acknowledges the journey and where we acknowledge and celebrate each other's differences. It's about understanding and acknowledging what has happened in the past and working together to achieve equality, doing this by building relationships, respect & trust of each other. We thank all first nations, past, present and emerging to allow us to be involved in such a day. To be alongside a club that is as rich in tradition as the Belmont Lions are is a privilege and an honor.
But what is more important as a club, as we move forward in this space, is to have it designed by our Captain, Dan Measures and his elders is significantly an amazing moment. To have their input and their story on these jumpers and dresses, blows my mind and I am speechless. To my knowledge, our club has not had jumpers and dresses for our Seniors and Reserves footballers & A/B grade netballers for such an occasion.
I know our Men and Women are eager to do these uniforms proud and are thankful (as am I) for Dan for taking the lead in the designs.
From an executive & club point of view, we could not be prouder of Dan as a person, as a captain and his heritage and we look forward to being involved in the ceremony of this culturally significant day.”
The Belmont Lions, along with the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative will be celebrating Reconciliation Round with a Family Day. Before the seniors game at 2pm there will be a welcome to country and smoking ceremony, as well as an art display in the clubrooms, rides for the kids and much much more! We encourage the whole Bannockburn Football Netball Club to get down to Winter Reserve this Saturday and attend this special day.
We, the Bannockburn Football Netball Club, acknowledge the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin nations, the Traditional owners of the land on which we live, gather and play. We pay our respects to the local people for allowing us to gather on their land and to their Elders, past, present and emerging and extend that respect and appreciation to all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people for the thousands of years they have cared for and preserved this country's lands, waters and culture.
Our Reconciliation Round guernseys and dresses have been beautifully capture by Bryan FitzGerald from b.e_fitzgeraldphotography
