World Footy News

A permanent new feature of the Cairns AFL landscape will be played out on the streets and football fields of this North Queensland city next Sunday 19th May.

According to Shaun Nancarrow, Club Development Officer for AFL Cairns, “Local club, the Cairns City Lions, supported by their Event Partners – Harbrow Mentoring, Cairns Regional Council and the Cairns Post -will host the first Walk for Reconciliation along the Cairns Esplanade, departing from the Sound Stage at Fogarty Park and making their way to the Osprey function zone 2.5 kilometres away. Local indigenous health group Wuchopperen will provide healthy snacks at the conclusion of the event while the walkers who wish to attend the footy wait to be transported to the Holloway’s Beach Sporting Complex for the second annual ‘Dreamtime by the Sea’ game.”

This event is largely the creation of the Cairns City Lions football club. They plan to host these events to recognise the contribution and commitment Indigenous players and their families bring to the game of Australian Rules football at a local and national level.

The search for a suitable way to show this acknowledgement led to this footy match.

As Shaun explained “This led to the first ‘Dreamtime By The Sea’ game being played at Holloway’s Beach between the Cairns City Lions and the North Cairns Tigers [in 2012], emulating the ‘Dreamtime at the G’ feature of the AFL’s Indigenous round. Both clubs have a strong indigenous playing group in their teams and it was decided that it [the ensuing game] would become an annual event.”

“The day was very well attended and deemed a major success. The feedback from the community was extremely supportive, particularly from the Indigenous Community of Cairns.”

“This year the Lions wanted to build on the momentum from last year’s event and looked to Michael Long and his walk to draw attention to indigenous issues as inspiration, leading to the idea of a combined community walk for reconciliation, followed by the ‘Dreamtime by the Sea’ game in the afternoon. The idea was not to just make it about AFL participants but to throw the walk open to everyone in Cairns who wanted to participate.”

A central figure to this event is Marc Harbrow, a coach, player and mentor to indigenous players at the Cairns City Lions. He is also the brother of Jarrod Harbrow, current player at the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL.  Marc had identified the club as one of choice for indigenous players who came to the club because of the environment created for indigenous players.

Marc has also asked his widely respected brother to be the AFL’s Reconciliation Ambassador for the event, to which Jarrod agreed, further endorsing the validity and importance of the event.

Marc sees this event as an important one, not just for indigenous people, but all Australians. “Reconciliation isn’t just about the stereotype of First people and the Second (and third and fourth) waves trying to reconcile.  It’s about indigenous communities reconciling with each other, migrants coming to terms with the differences between their old way of life and the new realities facing them in their new homes, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. [These reconciliations] set the mood and the focus for the event.”

“Everyone has to reconcile with someone or something in their lives, therefore reconciliation is for everyone.”

This year’s “Dreamtime by the Sea” match and Walk for Reconciliation has already attracted much local attention, with many other local football teams planning to walk also. It should prove to be a great day for football and recognition of the enormous role that indigenous Australians have played in the development of Australian Rules football in Cairns and beyond.