Not even a downpour of rain could extinguish the spirit and significance of the smoking ceremony that kicked off Athletics West’s inaugural NAIDOC carnival. The one-day event, held ahead of NAIDOC Week during the recent school holidays, brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous junior athletes in a celebration of sport, culture, and community. NAIDOC Carnival: A Celebration of Culture, Athletics, and Community Spirit
The carnival, which featured track and field events, also aimed to promote athletics and training skills with the help of several leading Australian athletes. Organized by the Bibbulman Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting and inspiring Aboriginal communities across Australia, the event was directed by Kim Collard, a respected West Australian Aboriginal leader and NAIDOC Elder of the Year Award recipient.
“NAIDOC Week is such a premium event in the Aboriginal calendar,” said Collard, a Balladong/Wadjuk Elder of the Noongar nation. “And this year’s theme has been ‘keep the fire burning.’ So it’s really fantastic to see Athletics West not only celebrate this significant milestone but to have an event to celebrate with.”
The planning for this landmark event spanned over two and a half years, ensuring that the first NAIDOC carnival would be a success. The carnival aimed to introduce grassroots Western Australian junior athletes to the elite level, providing a platform for budding talent.
Tay-Leiha Clark, a talented Indigenous long and triple jumper, played a significant role in the event. The 26-year-old former World Youth Games bronze medallist from Sydney spent most of the day sharing her skills and experiences with young athletes in the sandpit.
“For me to learn and for the kids to learn, I think it’s really important to give this opportunity to the community during such an important week,” Clark said. “It’s a special moment.”
Another key supporter of the event was Benjamin Catley, a recent Australian Olympic Indigenous Coaching Scholarship graduate. The Bardi man from the Kimberley region advocates for coaching with cultural understanding, believing it produces better results. His methods have received praise from Athletics Australia First Nations Advisory Council chairperson, Dr. Rishelle Hume.
Dr. Hume, a Whadjuk, Ballardong, and Gnaala Karla Booja woman, and mother to twin athletes who debuted at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, emphasized the importance of role models and mentors in sport.
“Our mob definitely has an ability to run, jump, and throw,” Hume said. “To get them more engaged in the sport and mix with role models and ambassadors, I think, is just fantastic. I could see this sort of event growing each year.”
Athletics West chief executive, Vince Del Prete, expressed his organization’s commitment to recognizing the contributions of First Nations people from junior to senior ranks.
“I think for the future, it’s a fantastic springboard for us to showcase the sport of athletics and to get more Aboriginal people involved in the sport,” Del Prete said. “It’s really important that we celebrate their history and their future.”
An event spokesperson highlighted Athletics West’s involvement in the Athletics Australia Outback program, which predominantly includes Indigenous track and field athletes in Western Australia. The new NAIDOC carnival offers a different kind of engagement, bringing the community together in a metropolitan setting.
“It was a great opportunity for us to have people come together and celebrate the very first metropolitan-based activity,” the spokesperson said. “We do a lot of regional work in WA as part of our Aboriginal community engagement program. This is our first window into that, and we’re really excited to grow it from here.”
Athletics West emphasized the importance of maintaining the carnival’s grassroots element to ensure accessibility for athletes of all abilities.
“We definitely want to make sure it’s accessible and continues to maintain that grassroots element because we have athletes of all different abilities,” the spokesperson said. “For us, it’s a celebration of bringing those together.”
The NAIDOC carnival not only marked a significant milestone in celebrating Indigenous culture and achievements but also laid the foundation for future events that will continue to inspire and engage the community.
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Source: https://nit.com.au/13-07-2024/12530/athletics-west-launches-historic-naidoc-carnival-in-perth