Indigenous Australians & Sport:
Origins and Achievements
Lecture Format
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Will take a broad brush approach by looking at
Indigenous contribution to sport in Australia.
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Examine some of the key barriers that prevented
Indigenous people gaining equality in sport.
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Look at what’s happening today at the local level
to bring about better understanding and
opportunities for Indigenous sportspeople.
Background of Sporting Achievements
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It is true to say that Australia is a sports loving country in
which Indigenous Australians have made a major
contribution-running, boxing, tennis, cricket, AFL,NFL,
soccer, basketball, hockey, horse racing.
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Considering Indigenous Australians are just over 2% of the
general population (22 Million) their contribution to sport &
Australian culture needs to be acknowledged-will examine
this in the Murray Goulburn Region (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010).
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Important to note that despite the continuing gap
between Indigenous and non Indigenous equality,
Indigenous Australians have achieved sporting success
disproportionate to their population.
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In 2010 an estimated 83 Indigenous players were playing
footy in AFL about 16% of AFL-will come back to this.
Opportunities for the Future
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History shows that until the 1970s, Aborigines
found it just as hard to gain equality in sport as
they did in life generally.
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For those who did make it in sport however, a
voice was found from which they could then push
for the rights of their people in the broader
society.
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And for that, sport must be acknowledged as
having provided an opportunity for Aborigines to
push for greater equality and the enjoyment of
those fundamental rights that belong to all
peoples.
Indigenous Struggle for
Equality
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For those who have chosen sport as a
pathway to recognition & greater
equality, it has also provided
inspiration for fellow Indigenous
Australians.
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We’ll show them were just as good- if not
better approach.
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Role modeling, for younger generations.
Overview of Indigenous
Sportspeople & their
achievements across a
broad range of sports on
the National &
International level.
Aboriginal Cricket Team, 1868
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In 1868 very first
Australian cricket
team to visit England
was Aboriginal. They
played a match at
North Shields,
enthralling crowds
with displays of
boomerang throwing
as well as cricket.
Eddie Gilbert
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Eddie Gilbert is widely acknowledged as the unluckiest Aboriginal
sportsmen of that era. He received high praise from Sir Donald
Bradman and could have gone on to play for Australia.
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Instead, his career was cut short when the Queensland Cricket
Association told Gilbert his services were no longer required.’ Little
doubt remains as to the motivations behind the association’s
decision.
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The stark reality is that many others suffered discrimination similar
to Gilbert’s. True, the barriers were breaking down during the
interwar years, but they were breaking slowly. In fact, during that
period, Aborigines probably achieved no more in their push for
equality in sport than they did in their push for equality in general
Australian society.
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However, for those who did manage to break through the barriers
and forge successful sporting, careers, sport did provide a launching
pad for bigger and better things.
Achievements in late 1800s
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Possibly the most remarkable achievement against the barriers to equality
in sport was the selection of Frank Ivory to play rugby union for
Queensland in 1893.
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Also noteworthy is the little known fact that the winner of the 1876
Melbourne Cup was a 13-year-old Aboriginal jockey named Peter St
Albans. Peter St Albans wagged school to ride the Melbourne Cup winner
of 1876.
year
1876
winner
BRISEIS
Jockey
Peter St Albans
trainer
J Wilson
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Other famous Aboriginal Jockey- Darby McCarthy whose record
includes three Stradbrokes, the Brisbane Cup and Doomben
10,000, and the 1969 AJC Derby and Epsom Stakes on the same
day.
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McCarthy was dynamic and for his group 1 double at Randwick
he jousted with George Moore.
http://www.melbournecup.com.au/previous.php
Sporting achievements at the
local level
Lynch Cooper, 1927
Sport and Empowerment
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Historian Colin Tatz points out, Lynch
Cooper’s victories brought him
money (from gambling on himself)
that helped him and his family to
survive the depression years with
relative dignity.
Example of Local Talent in
Running
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Eddy Briggs- Professional, Stawell Gift Finalist
Donny Briggs-Professional Runner
George Nelson-Professional Runner, Trainer of Stawell
Gift winner, Noel Hussey, 1968
Paul Briggs- Stawell Gift finalist
Stan Charles- Stawell Gift finalist
Geoff Cooper, professional running
Jimmy Murray, professional runner
Bobby McDonald created crouch start in running
Leo Muir, Runner up in Wangaratta Gift
Sir Doug Nichols won Warracknabeal Gift
Multi Talented Sportspeople
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Many local sportsmen were multi skilled
combining running, football and boxingDoug Nichols, Jimmy Murray, and many
more ran, played footy, and fought in
boxing tents-Jimmy Sharman's travelling
boxing tent of 1950s.
Evonne Goolagong
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Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, who beat fellow Australian
Margaret Court to win Wimbledon in 1971, has made a
name for herself as an Aboriginal activist.
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The attitude of paternalism that the media displayed
towards her in her younger days probably provided much of
the motivation for her entry into the world of activism.
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Although times had changed enough to ensure that she
never suffered deliberate racial exclusion like Eddie Gilbert
did half a century earlier, Goolagong-Cawley was still forced
to deal with the media constantly highlighting her
differences. Words used to describe her included
‘picaninny’, ‘dusky’ and ‘tawny’.
Lionel Rose Reception 1968
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250,000 strong crowd turned
up in Melbourne in 1968 to
celebrate the achievements of
Aboriginal boxer Lionel Rose,
who had just become world
bantamweight boxing
champion-who did he beat and
where?
Rose’s reception was the
perfect example of the
changing times. While
Aboriginal sportspeople who
succeeded at sport were just
as equally lauded by the press
and adored by the people as
their non- Indigenous
counterparts, racism coupled
by ignorance remained just
below the surface.
Jacksons Track
Lionel & Kosta, 1998
Cathy Freeman, 2000
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Challenged
misconceptions of
Indigenous Australia by
using flag as a symbol of
Indigenous Australian
nationhood and identity.
Inspired other Indigenous
sportspeople & younger
generation to set their
sights high in sporting
achievements
Olympic Games, Sydney 2000
FOOTBALL AS A PATH TO
EQUALITY & ACCEPTANCE
SOME EXAMPLES
Joe Johnson 1904-1906
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Regarded as one if not the first
Indigenous footballer to play in the
Victorian Football League, VFL (Joe
Johnson played 55 games and won two
premierships with Fitzroy from 1904 to
1906)
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He then went to Northcote to coach a young lad
named Doug Nichols.
Marn-Grook
n. Gunditjmara. Eng. "Game Ball“
http://www.aboriginalfootball.com.au/marngrook.html
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It is believed this very
game, played for millennia,
provided the lawmakers of
Australian football with
some of the fundamentals
of the game we know and
play today.
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It was a mass game of
keepings off with a round
ball about the size of an
orange, which was a
possum skin stuffed with
charcoal and bound by
kangaroo tail sinews (Poulter,
Sharing Heritage in Kulin Country, 2011: 37),
Origins of Australian Rules Footy
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Origins of Australian Rules are claimed to
be Marngrook with influence of Gaelic
football first played by the Irish in
Australia in 1843 which coincided with St
Patricks Day.
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However, some aspects of Australian
football, such as high marking, were
undoubtedly influenced by the Aboriginal
game-will discuss other attributes that
Indigenous people have brought to the
game shortly.
RISE OF INDIGENOUS FOOTBALLERS
in 21 Century Australia
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In 1982 to when the Krakouer brothers arrived at
North Melbourne there were 5 Indigenous players
in what was then the VFL (Age, June 18, 2005).
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In (2005), there are 51 Indigenous footballers in
the AFL making up 8% of the competition.
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In 2007 there are now 71 and increase of 20
Indigenous players in the space of years? What
does that represent (Koori Mail, 18 March, 2005).
Cummeragunja: 1888-2007
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Given the size of its
population (500 at
its peak) its
contribution to
sport and
particularly
football has been
outstanding.
Sir Doug Nicholls 1932-37
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Nicholls initially joined Carlton, but faced by constant racist
taunts from his own team mates he moved to Fitzroy, where
he played from 1932-37. (story)
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What makes Nicholls story so special is that he went on to
become an activist with the Aboriginal Advancement
League and was later knighted - a rarity for an Indigenous
Australian.
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In 1976, Nicholls became the Governor of South Australia,
an incredible achievement given that Aborigines were only
granted voting rights in l962’ and only won the right to be
included in the census in 1967.’
Sir Doug Nicholls on Assimilation
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'Let us enter your
society on our
terms, living side
by side with you
but remaining at
all times a cultural
group with our
own identity' (speech
by Sir Doug Nicholls 1969, in
Peterson and Langton, 1983:253).
Winner of Warracknabeal Gift, 1929
Eddy Jackson & Norm
McDonald, 1947-1952
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Two of the first Indigenous
Australians to succeed at
Australian football's highest
level between 1947 and
1952.
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Both continued to play
country football for many
years after their retirement
from the 'big time'.
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Jackson Coached Thornton
(story)
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McDonald played with Golden
Square in Bendigo League.
Indigenous equality & recognition through
sport: Pathways to the Future
Back Row: Ian Charles, Frank Abrahams, Paul Briggs, Terry Hood (d.), Jim Berg, Joe
Swindle, Ian Charles Robert Muir, Geoff Clark, Robert Lowe, Gary Murray.
Middle: Dowie Bux, Billy Muir (d.), Wayne Briggs, Alick Jackomas (d.)Team Manager,
Alec Smith, Des James, Gary Nelson.
Sitting Lionel McGee, John Murray Bert Williams (d.).
Presented to Academy of Sport Health & Education Program, University of
Melbourne, 20 January 2011
Dr Wayne Atkinson-Senior Lecturer
School of Social & Political Science
University of Melbourne
Key Events that bought
about equality in
Indigenous participation
in Sport
&
Greater Awareness of
Racism on and off the
Field
April 17, 1993, Victoria Park, Melbourne. Nicky
Winmar has just completed a best-on-ground
performance to help St. Kilda to a memorable
victory over Collingwood in round four of the
Australian Football League (AFL) season.
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Racial Vilification
Winmar's courageous act led to a push by
former Essendon player Michael Long to
create a racial vilification policy adopted by
the AFL (Age, 10 March, 2005).
Winmar Incident (cont)
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If Winmar was the player that brought the issue of racism to the
media, an incident involving Michael Long was almost certainly the
instigator for the creation of the AFL’s anti-racism program. In
1995, the Essendon champion complained of suffering racist abuse
from Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst.
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AFLorganised mediation between the two players failed to resolve
the issue, and left with no choice, the AFL moved quickly to
introduce its Code of Conduct.
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Under the new rules, players could be fined or suspended for onfield racist language. It is also significant that the Code of
Conduct was introduced in the same year as the Federal
Government’s Racial Hatred Act 1995.
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The efforts of Winmar and Long should not be underestimated. As
sportspeople, they brought racism to the fore of public debate, and
helped to pave the way for legislation that would have been
unthinkable only a decade earlier.
Cultural Continuity through Sport, Health &
Education
Rumbalara Football & Netball Club, Shepparton
Oncountry Learning: Indigenous Studies visit to RFNC Uni of Melb,2005.
Cummera
Footy
Team,1927
Academy of Sport Health &
Education, Shepparton, 2005
(University of Melbourne)
Cummeragunja Football Team Premiers, c.1927.
: Henry Charles, Rupert Cooper, Gordon Aultern, George Burns,
Bill Atkinson, Gingo Morgan, Micky McDonald, Selwyn Briggs, Frank Atkinson, Jacky
Cooper, Tim Ross,
Mick Morgan, Aaron Briggs, Henry Charles, Maurice Charles.
Front: Bob Nelson, Tom Dunolly Snr, Dowie Nicholls, Tom Dunolly Jnr.
Statistics on Indigenous Players in AFL, 2010
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100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
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1982
2005
2010
1982=5
2005=51
2007=71
2010=83
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1982-2005= 90% increase in
23 years
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2005-2010= 50% increase in
last 2 years.
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2% of Aust Pop but over 15%
of AFL, 2010
Indigenous AFL Umpires
Sport and Indigenous
Recognition: Conclusions
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It is true that sport has given Aborigines more
recognition and collective pride, than any other
single activity both from within their own
community and from the broader Australian
community.
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Indigenous Australians still have a long struggle
ahead of them if they are to achieve equality.
They are still in a disadvantaged position. Even in
sport, where so much progress has been made,
there is much that still needs to be done (Colin Tatz,
Aborigines and Sport, 1987).
Opportunities through Sport
Health & Education is pathway
to Future
Pride
Integrity
Respect
Shared Identity
Solidarity
Grab the ball & use it to your
teams advantage
Rumbalara Football & Netball Club: A
Holistic Approach to the Future
A Holistic Worldview of Sport,
Health, Education & Community
Questions for Discussion
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Why do Indigenous Australians
perform so well in sport?
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Why are they so good at footy?
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Is Indigenous achievement in sport
innate or a learned, cultural trait or is
it driven by social and economic
factors?