INDIGENOUS

INDIGENOUS by Whispering Jack

I don't usually pay much attention to special rounds of football or pre match entertainment but I have to say that the AFL really nailed it with its Indigenous Round which managed to tastefully cover all aspects of the special relationship between Australian football and indigenous Australia.

The highlight was the festivity of Dreamtime at the G – the annual match played between Essendon and Richmond at the MCG. There was a curtain raiser between the Tiwi Bombers (Aussie's old club) from the Northern Territory and Rumbalara Football Club, from Shepparton and the pre match entertainment with acclaimed singers and dancers was a real treat.

On Sunday at the MCG the traditional welcome from the indigenous owners of the land delivered by Auntie Joy Murphy-Wandin on behalf of her people was heartwarming. As she spoke her friendly welcome to all and included her praise for the retiring Demon skipper David Neitz, I couldn't help reflect on the lack of bitterness in her words about what history had inflicted on her people. She wasn't looking back - her focus was on the present and the future for her people.

There is no doubt that our national sport provides great hope for her people in the future. There are 87,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved in Australian Football programmes and this represents 12.4 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Some of their finest were there on Sunday and they provided the highlight of the day with a few special and exciting moments. They included the lightning handpass delivered by Austin Wonaemirri delievered from a pack to Aaron Davey for a goal that regained the lead for Melbourne half way through the final quarter followed seconds later by Cyril Rioli's grab off the pack and run into goal to restore Hawthorn's lead.

These were among the finest moments our great sport could ever bring.