Australia’s cricketers marked the start of NAIDOC Week with a Barefoot Circle before each of today’s three Marsh Sheffield Shield games.
Circles were formed at Karen Rolton Oval and Gladys Elphick Park in central Adelaide and at ACH Stadium in the seaside suburb of Glenelg before today’s start of round four of the Shield competition as players acknowledged the traditional owners of the lands, and united to “stand strong against racism”.
This year marks the first time the annual NAIDOC Week activities have fallen in the cricket season, and there are further events planned later in the week with the Rebel WBBL’s First Nations Festival of Cricket.
The ceremony conducted under cloudless skies at Glenelg Oval, in the traditional lands of the Kaurna people who inhabited what is now Adelaide and the surrounding plains, was particularly poignant for two notable reasons.
The barefoot circle formed by players and officials from South Australia and Queensland teams was addressed by Redbacks coach Jason Gillespie, a proud descendant of the Kamilaroi nation (born in Sydney) who was also the first Indigenous male to represent Australia in Test cricket.
Among the group who bowed their heads in reverent silence as Gillespie spoke was Queensland fast bowler Brendon Doggett, who had been included in the Bulls’ starting XI for the first time this season.
Doggett, who was a member of the Australia Test squad that played Pakistan in the UAE two years ago, is descended from the Worimi people of the Great Lakes region in New South Wales.
He has battled with back injuries since winning elevation to the national squad and had played just one Shield match – against Victoria at the Gabba last February – since the 2018-19 summer.
His return to first-class cricket today could hardly have been more timely or poignant given the start of the current round of Marsh Sheffield Shield matches coincides with the launch of NAIDOC Week nationwide.
At Karen Rolton Oval, Major ‘Moogy’ Sumner (Uncle Moogy) performed a traditional song as he welcomed Victorian and Western Australian players to Kaurna country.
WA allrounder D’Arcy Short, of the Mitakoodi mob, who along with Victoria quick Scott Boland, of the Gulidjan people, and Gillespie is one of only four Indigenous men to play for Australia, acknowledged elders and paid tribute to the legacy of the 1868 Indigenous tour of the United Kingdom.
“As leaders of our teams we stand together in a circle today to symbolise strength and connection to each other and to country,” said Short.
“As representatives of Australian cricket, we will now walk together toward our journey to a connected country.”
Over at nearby Gladys Elphick Park, Tasmania batter Charlie Wakim also acknowledged First Nations people in a barefoot circle with the NSW Blues squad.
As well as acknowledging the traditional owners of the country, the players honoured the legacy of the 1868 Aboriginal cricket team, the nation’s first sporting team to tour overseas 152 years ago.
“As leaders of our teams we stand together in a circle today to symbolise strength and connection to each other and to country,” the players’ statement read. “As representatives of Australian cricket, we will now walk together toward our journey to a connected country.”
Held from November 8-15, NAIDOC Week celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and provides an opportunity to acknowledge history, culture and achievements. This year’s activities are themed on ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’, recognising that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for more than 65,000 years.
Adam Cassidy, Cricket Australia’s Diversity and Inclusion Manager, said it was important for cricket to celebrate NAIDOC Week and recognise the contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have made to the game.
“Our vision for reconciliation through Cricket Connecting Country aims to unite and inspire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians to find common ground and thrive through cricket,” Cassidy said.
“As a sport, we aim to have a positive social impact on our community and our Reconciliation Action Plan holds us accountable to becoming leaders in this area.”
The WBBL First Nations Festival of Cricket will be held next weekend, November 14-15, and will also include pre-match barefoot circles, as well as the Walkabout Wickets artwork on match balls and bat flip.
The Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder will wear an Indigenous designed shirt.
The documentary Walkabout Wickets will screen on ABC TV (Tuesday, 8.30pm), showcasing a story of cultural identity that follows the male and female Australian Indigenous cricket teams’ 2018 tour of the UK to retrace the steps of the 1868 team and pay homage to those who came before.
The third episode of CA’s online panel series Cricket Connecting Country will be released on Thursday, November 12.
Cricket’s NAIDOC Week activities
Nov 8-11: Marsh Sheffield Shield – NAIDOC Round
Nov 10: Walkabout Wickets documentary 8.30pm AEDT ABC TV
Nov 12: Cricket Connecting Country episode three released on Cricket Australia Facebook
Nov 12-13: Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander T20 Cup
Nov 13: Open media opportunity with Muruwari woman and Sydney Sixers all-rounder Ash Gardner
Nov 14-15: Rebel WBBL First Nations Festival of Cricket and Community Reconciliation Round
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