A Wotjubaluk and Jardwadjali man hopes the Wimmera will learn and talk more about the region's great Indigenous footballers, following the publicity around the mistreatment of Robert Muir.
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On Sunday, Ben Muir woke up to reports detailing the racism, abuse and disrespect his uncle, a former St Kilda footballer, received throughout his life.
It prompted the AFL and St Kilda to apologise to Robert for their handling of these issues. Meanwhile, a crowdfunding page set up to pay for surgery he needs has raised more than $112,000 in 24 hours.
The release of the story coincided with the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Round, highlighting the impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have had on the national competition.
Mr Muir, who lives in Horsham, said he stayed in touch with his uncle, a father figure in his early life. Nonetheless, some revelations in the coverage were news to him as well.
"A few things surprised me: Just the way my uncle was treated," he said. "I was only young when it happened, but to see what he went through, it puts pieces to the puzzle as to why he was the way he was.
"I was brought up by my grandmother Myrtle, Robert's mother, and Uncle Robert and my Dad were father figures for us. I used to idolise him when I was young, and I still do. I grew up with three brothers and one sister, and we went to the footy and always wondered why uncle Robert used to do what he did. Now we know, because of the racial taunts and the stuff he went through in his childhood."
Like his uncle, Mr Muir played football in Ballarat, where he grew up. He has played for Taylors Lake in the Horsham District Football League since moving to the region in 2012.
"We got taunted down there (in Ballarat), and it did make you fly off the handle. It affected us as Aboriginal people, and I'm pretty sure we had it up here (in the Wimmera) as well," he said.
"It makes you feel not worthy of yourself. You hear the stuff over the fence and just think 'Whatever', I knew I was out there doing my best. But if it happened on the field, it would really hurt you inside. You felt like you weren't a person and that. These days you stand up for your rights and tell people what you've got."
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Mr Muir said he was pleased to see more people were learning about Indigenous culture. He hopes to see stories about the Wimmera's significant Indigenous footballers told more widely.
"I know the Wimmera Football League has the Indigenous Round, and (in the HDFNL) Taylors Lake has the Indigenous game against Stawell Swifts and that, but I think it's time for the whole leagues to recognise the actual people up here," he said.
"There is Native Title, and so many great players and native clans up here. Adam Goodes is a perfect example, Damien Skurrie has made the Horsham Demons a really good club.
"The likes of Uncle Lester Harradine, a Dimboola legend. Uncle Maurice Marks, a two-time premiership player at Rupanyup. Brett Goodes is another one.
"We have a lot of talent around here, and a lot of my family and the Harrison-Harradine family could have made it, but I think they loved the country, and playing football with their people, too much. They didn't want to leave home. To get down to Melbourne was a big thing.
"That's one thing I like about playing football up here: Playing with my family. I never got to do that in my juniors, but when I grew up, I moved up here and played with all my cousins. I felt more comfortable doing that than playing with a bunch of strangers."
In 2019, Dimboola and Horsham Demons football and netball players wore outfits designed by local Indigenous artists, when they competed for the Goodes Brothers Cup.
Mr Muir works as Aboriginal Water Officer with the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. He serves on the board of Barengi Gadjin Land Council as a representative of the Marks family of Traditional Owners. Before this, he worked at Mars chocolate factory in Ballarat, but he came home to get to know his culture more, and so his mother could have a better relationship with his children.
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He counts Taylors Lake's 2016 reserves premiership, when the team featured three Indigenous players, a highlight of his football career.
Mr Muir said he was grateful to his uncle for supporting him and his siblings.
"He used to come and watch us play, even though he was travelling over Australia for footy. Just the way he stood up for himself (was inspiring), and how he taught us to be competitive and proud of who you are," he said.
"My kids idolise him too. They call him 'Poppy Robert' out of respect for him. I think respect is what he's taught us over the years too."
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