By Matt Fotia
In an Eastern Football Netball League first, the Norwood Football Club will wear an indigenous jumper – designed by current player and ex Melbourne and West Coast forward, Jamie Bennell – in their Premier Division clash against South Croydon tomorrow.
The jumper reveal is aligned with NAIDOC week, which begins on Sunday.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.
Plans were in place for this landmark moment to occur in 2020, but like all other facets of life in 2020, it was put on the back burner.
Undeterred, Jamie went back to his coach and club committee to push forward with the idea in season 2021, and was met with positivity with the only real hurdle the costs involved with producing a third strip.
“We had a conversation, Marty (Pask – Senior Coach) and myself, at our pre-season camp up in Yarrawonga last season after the thought came about, and we just said, yep let’s do it,”
“This year, I hit him and the President (Mark Etherington) up again and everyone was all for it,”
“The main thing was the cost of it all, paying an artist, getting the jumpers made up, all of that, and it all came down the boys in the end, if they were willing to cough up a few dollars,”
“Put a message out to the boys and got a 100% strike rate.”
Bennell, through his role with the AFL Players Association, got in touch with Melbourne AFLW player and artist Krstel Petrevski – cousin of Carlton’s Sam Petrevski-Seton from the Kija/Jaru tribe in Western Australia – to help bring his idea to life.
Krstel also designed her own clubs AFLW Indigenous jumper this season.
The Norwood jumper includes symbols of Jamie’s journey from Western Australia to Victoria, teammate Tristan Tweedie’s own personal journey, plus boomerangs which symbolise the strengths of the players and the connections that make up the Norwood community.
Bunjil, the wedge tailed eagle (eagle-hawk) is also pictured, which is Tristan’s totem. It is the creation spirit for the land of the Wurundjeri people and for the land that the Norwood Football Club is located on.
Photo – Field of View
The jumper also references the five values of the Norwood playing group, the different communities cultures and backgrounds of people involved and the connection from grandparent, to parent, to child.
Jamie and the club have had social media slides detailing the jumper’s meaning made up to help educate those interested.
These can be found via the EFNL Instagram and the Norwood Football Club’s.
The club also has had three hand painted footballs made for the occasion, one to be kept in the club social rooms, the other two to be given away on game day, with plans to grow the concept further in the future.
“We’ve got hand painted footballs to give away and then next year we have to go bigger and better, so whether that’s a smoking ceremony with a welcome to country, or if it’s a performance, we can do whatever we want, it’s just about getting the buy in again.”
Photo – Field of View
Photo – Field of View
Jamie is proud that Norwood is the first of many to do something of this nature and is hopeful that it starts conversations league – and community – wide on Saturday.
“There’s a lack of (indigenous) representation out here, but hopefully this jumper will start conversations,”
“We’re going to play South Croydon this weekend and their supporters are going to be asking why we’re wearing the jumper.”
Bennell, and Norwood for that matter, are not looking to revel in praise, but want something further to come from this occasion – education about the importance of the indigenous history and creating a desire to delve deeper into it.
“We’ve got NAIDOC week coming up this Sunday, and as I said to the boys it’s about the importance of recognising our indigenous history, knowing a little bit more, digging in a bit deeper,”
“So, when people ask questions, the boys know the answers,” Bennell said.
“There’s a lack of education out there, that’s what this is, a conversation starter, raising awareness,”
“You don’t learn a lot of this in schools – schools are getting better – but a lot of the history you do know has the indigenous history is swept under the carpet.”
For more information on NAIDOC week head to https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/naidoc-week