Lightning players will don a custom-made uniform designed by Gubbi Gubbi artist Kerry Neill for their Round 10 clash against West Coast Fever.
Mr Neill said the dress design featured the bunya pine, a symbol commonly featured in Gubbi Gubbi paintings, carvings and dances.
“The bunya tree is native to South East Queensland and is significant for Gubbi Gubbi people as a whole.
“Some of these trees are so old that families have been coming to the same one for hundreds of years, so in many ways they symbolise the sharing of our culture with future generations, which is an important focus of NAIDOC Week.
Mr Neill said the design aligned with the 2018 NAIDOC Week theme of ‘Because of her, we can!’ which recognises the significant contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made – and continue to make – to Australian society.
“All the designs featured in the dress were given to me by my mother and they pay homage to her and all of the women in our family line,” Mr Neill said.
“It’s fantastic to be involved with this initiative. Our kids look up to the Lightning players so it’s really special for them to feel like they are a part of the action and to share our culture with the broader community.”
Lightning CEO Danielle Smith said all eight teams in the Suncorp Super Netball league would sport uniforms representing the Indigenous stories and culture of their local area.
“Collectively, the dress designs symbolise the diversity of our communities and highlight the rich culture of First Nations people,” Ms Smith said.
“While Lightning will be playing in Perth for Indigenous Round, we chose to celebrate locally last weekend, with ochre face painting and Aboriginal art activities included in Sunday’s game day program.
“Kerry and the team at Goombuckar Creations also brought along the Goombuckar Cultural Bus, which is a mobile learning platform that attendees visited to learn about local Indigenous places, people and culture.
“We’re excited to have partnered with Kerry and other Aboriginal community members and to have the opportunity to learn about this incredible culture.”
Indigenous Round is an initiative of Netball Australia which aims to highlight the organisation’s ongoing commitment to learn, develop and drive its cultural competency and awareness, and provide an inclusive environment for all Australians to participate in and enjoy netball.
Ms Smith said in addition to Lightning’s game day activities, Australian Indigenous Netball would also host a netball clinic at USC Stadium on Wednesday, 4 July in conjunction with Sunshine Coast Council.
“The clinic is aimed at Indigenous youth aged between 10 and 18 and we anticipate around 40 aspiring netballers will participate,” she said.
“Both Geva Mentor and Steph Wood will be on hand to offer playing advice and assistance.”
Sunshine Coast Council will drive the clinic as part of its Reconciliation Action Plan, which supports social and economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the Sunshine Coast.
2018 NAIDOC Week celebrations will be held nationally from Sunday 8 – 15 July.
For more information, head to www.naidoc.org.au
Suncorp Super Netball Indigenous Round will take place on 7 and 8 July when Sunshine Coast Lightning takes on West Coast Fever in Perth. The match will be broadcast live on Telstra TV and the Netball Live app at 9.00PM (AEST) on Saturday.
