May: Feel Good Story of the Month

The Ochre Dawn team is proud and grateful beyond words to have worked with Yartapuulti Football Club (Port Adelaide FC) and Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri artist Brooke Rigney-Lively on this significant project – designing the club’s new logo to be used for games played during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, AFLW Indigenous Round and SANFL First Nations Round.

Last Friday night’s nail-biter match between Yartapuulti and Narrm Football Club (Melbourne) was the first time in AFL history that two clubs played under the banner of Traditional place names had faced each other during Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Highlights of the night went above and beyond four-quarters of athleticism.

Prior to the game, the Oval was powered up by a special dance performance from more than 500 participants of the Aboriginal Power Cup program. The crowd erupted with cheers when the overhead lights were switched off to reveal the students standing in an illuminated formation of the Aboriginal flag in the centre of the Oval.

Both Narrm (Melbourne) and Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) ran out onto Adelaide Oval to the tune of their club songs, sung in their respective Traditional languages.

Kaurna Elder Uncle Mickey Michael OBrien and Isaac Hannam led a moving Welcome to Country before both teams exchanged traditional gifts.

Congratulations to Yartapuulti on an exhilarating win and to both clubs for showing what it means to walk together and take action in Reconciliation, and for listening to the voices of their communities.