Boolarra Football Netball Club celebrate Indigenous Round

BOOLARRA Football Netball Club celebrated NAIDOC Week over the July 13/14 weekend by donning their spectacular Indigenous Round uniforms designed by a local artist, and purchased with a community sponsorship grant from the Latrobe Health Assembly. 

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’, celebrating the unyielding spirit of First Nations’ communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced. Latrobe Health Assembly Member and proud Gunggandji man, Mark Munnich, designed the artwork named Booraguman (Boo-rah goo-man) meaning ‘One Fire’ in the

Gungai/Gunggandji language. The design encompasses the circular journeys of individuals, families and communities – how in a community everyone is sitting around a fire, meaning everyone is side-by-side in “one mob, one spirit”.

“The top right-hand circle that is just red inside represents Boolarra Football Netball Club. The five circles underneath represent all the different Football Netball Clubs – Yinnar, Hill End, Thorpdale, Newborough, and Morwell East. In the middle of the artwork is the Morwell River, which is a significant river system to Boolarra. Around the bottom of the Morwell River there is a track that goes to another circle which has females and males sitting, this is Mirboo North Football Netball Club. The other six circles are the other Football Netball Leagues that now play in Mid Gippsland League – Meeniyan Dumbalk United, Stony Creek, Tarwin, Fish Creek, Foster and Toora,” explains Mark. 

“It was an opportunity to give back to our community where we live in Boolarra… Our club has eight active First Nations players that also represent local, region and state teams – so a wealth of skill.

Boolarra historically does have a strong historical First Nations presence by the Gunaikurnai Nation. It was used seasonally, as the focus was to utilise the food sources from the area, there are scar trees scattered around everywhere which is significant to the use of the Morwell River as a food source.”

On the day, the Boolarra Football Netball Club hosted Morwell East Football Netball Club at their home ground, the Boolarra Recreation Reserve. A traditional smoking ceremony by Aunty Christine Johnson marked the beginning of the Indigenous Round prior to the first sirens of the senior football and netball games. 

“The Indigenous Round was a special occasion for the two teams and their supporters to share and recognise the local First Nations’ culture and continue our shared path towards Reconciliation. Mark’s vibrant design truly captured his gift for storytelling and his heartfelt connection to his town of Boolarra and the football club. We’re so grateful to Mark for his ongoing contributions to the Health Assembly and for being so generous in sharing his culture with the community,” says Latrobe Health Assembly chair, Tanya Rong.