Nominated by their peers, these individuals have excelled in enhancing the game at their respective clubs, Auskick centres, schools, and communities.
Western Magic, based at Blacktown, has been recognised for their advocacy of Indigenous contribution to their club and local community, highlighted by their contribution to the 2024 Sir Douglas Nicholls Round and NAIDOC Week.
“We’re a small club at the moment and with Covid we had a change in committee with a new president and new people coming in,” Western Magic Secretary Catherine Yan said.
“We are trying to rebuild and were looking at what the club means to us.
“Community, inclusivity, family and fairness. These were the things that we thought we stand for and where we wanted to build on.
In 2024, Western Magic held a fantastic Indigenous Round event whereby they engaged a local elder to attend their Indigenous Round match during SDNR to conduct a smoking ceremony for both teams as they entered the ground. This was then accompanied by a Welcome to Country before the first bounce.
Western Magic had new Indigenous guernseys created which were worn by all their teams during this round and they sourced a local artist from Ngandabaa Aboriginal Art, who designed this guernsey.
The club was also able to source a sponsor, Aus Eco Solutions, for their Indigenous guernsey which showcases the connections that the club are building in the local community. This guernsey was also worn during NAIDOC Week.
“We’d had our previous Indigenous guernsey for a while and we weren’t sure about the story behind it or what it represented, just that it was nice to look at,” Yan said.
“We wanted something more and for the players to have more input into what they wanted to wear and what it should mean.
"When we were planning our 2024 season the community came together and said let’s do a new guernsey together this year and get input from our First Nations players and let’s engage a local artist to do the work.
“In our area in Western Sydney there is a big Indigenous population and we want to ensure the recognition that we’re playing on their land is there.
“The Indigenous players presented the guernsey with a video to the wider playing group explaining the design and everyone loved it.
“We had a dancer come out for an Acknowledgement and a smoking ceremony.
“These events can’t just be about putting on a day for the sake of it, it’s about learning and connection to country and community.
“We’re really mindful about the role that sporting clubs can play in their broader communities and the different cultures that our players represent.
“One of the things that we’re really looking forward to is that community engagement moving forward. We’ve got a lot of things in the works”
This great work is being done in a highly Indigenous community and will continue to attract to attract people to their club as a result of their dedication to showcasing diversity.
