Sebastopol indigenous player Brett Goodes is urging the wider football and netball community to use the AFL’s indigenous round to grasp all aspects of National Reconciliation Week.
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The Burra is taking a leading role as clubs in the AFL Goldfields region promoting indigenous round.
As well as having senior footballers and netballers playing in specially designed outfits against Ballarat Swans at Alfredton Reserve on Saturday, Sebastopol will also be among clubs to have an Aboriginal smoking ceremony.
Goodes said the Swans had been good enough to allow Sebastopol to arrange the event, which would take place before the senior football and involve footballers and netballers.
He said the indigenous round would help launch a series of Ballarat activities for National Reconciliation Week, which ran until next Saturday.
Goodes said he was urging as many people as people to get involved in as much as possible.
Other events include:
GNARRWIRRING Ngitj Festival at Sovereign Hill (9am-7pm, until June 3): Gnarrwirring means learning together in the Wadawurrung language. The festival is providing an opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal living culture and history. This is the second year the Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation has partnered Sovereign Hill for this event.
ABORIGINAL story time at Ballarat library (9.30am-7.30pm, Monday, May 29): story time will be one of several activities at the library, which will also feature a saltbush kitchen.
Aboriginal astronomy seminar at Ballarat library (6pm-7.30pm, Monday, May 29): Monash indigenous studies centre astronomer and senior research fellow Dr Duane Hamacher will explain how Indigenous Australians encoded scientific information in their traditions.
SALTBUSH kitchen workshop at Ballarat library (1pm-2pm, Monday, May 29): Brigid Corcoran leading workshop on contemporary Australian bushfoods.
SMOKING ceremony and welcome to country at Ballarat library (9.30am-10am, Monday, May 29).
TEACHING Aboriginal history at Ballarat library (4.15pm-6.15pm, Tuesday, May 30): titled “we’re all custodians”. Insights from Ballarat district Indigenous elders, academics and Sovereign Hill education team.
Ballarat Football Netball League media marketing and events manager Chris Yeend said the league had created its own “No Limits United Through Sport” campaign over the past few years to celebrate the cultural diversity of the competition.
He said initiatives included ground logos in the colours of the Indigenous flag in the centre circle at all venues and where possible an indigenous representative at the coin toss, as well as a welcome recognising the traditional owners of the land.
Yeend said AFL Goldfields had provided an Australian Indigenous flag to fly at each ground.
Footballs used in senior football matches will also carry Indigenous designs and winning teams will receive a specially produced boomerang-shaped trophy given by AFL Goldfields.
Indigenous Australians represent less than three per cent of the population, but make up about 11 per cent of the AFL lists.
