Bringing Them Home WA welcomes the work of the Fremantle Dockers in highlighting the story of Michael Johnson, one of their great Indigenous players, who will be attending this year’s Sorry Day activities. The Dockers Indigenous Round jumper will feature a native hibiscus, the Stolen Generations Commemorative Flower, to coincide with Sorry Day.
For more information about the Stolen Generations Commemorative Flower, visit the Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation website.
Johnson to launch Freo’s 2014 Indigenous Round jumper
Michael Johnson will today launch Fremantle’s 2014 Indigenous Round themed jumper.
The defender and his fellow Indigenous players at the club will wear the jumper at Freo headquarters. Fremantle will run out in the jumper against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday 1 June in this year’s AFL Indigenous Round.
The 2013 Indigenous Round jumper was extremely well received by the playing group and garnered wide support among Fremantle members and supporters.
The club’s 2014 Indigenous Round jumper is the clash version of last year’s home jumper, which this year features the Stolen Generation Commemorative Flower above three boomerangs.
The flower, a native hibiscus, is the national symbol for the Stolen Generations across Australia. It aims to create awareness of the removal policy that affected many families, people and cultural groups.
It was adopted because it is found widely across Australia and is a survivor. Its colour denotes compassion and spiritual healing.
Johnson’s stepfather was part of the Stolen Generations, and is very passionate about raising awareness of the impact the policy had and still has on families today.
The Kimberley Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation (KSGAC) is urging all Australians to purchase a native hibiscus flower to wear in support of the Stolen Generations.
KSGAC spokesman Mark Bin Bakar said the gesture of support would resonate throughout the country.
“The Stolen Generations is not a closed chapter in Australian history; it has affected and continues to affect Aboriginal Australians over the past seven decades,” he said.
“The National Sorry Day flower will contribute to the collective healing process.”
Former Fremantle player and current development coach Roger Hayden worked with Richard Walley, one of Australia’s leading Aboriginal performers, artists, musicians and writers, to create the Indigenous Round Guernsey. Fremantle wore the 2013 jumper in round 9 last season against Melbourne at Patersons Stadium
The AFL’s annual Indigenous Round acknowledges the important contributions of Indigenous footballers throughout the history of the game.
Fremantle, which has a proud history of Indigenous players, last year launched the club’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which was developed with the support of its Indigenous program partner, Woodside.
The RAP acknowledges Fremantle’s proud Indigenous history and demonstrates the club’s commitment to reconciliation, which the Australian Government defines as being about unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians.
KSGAC is a non-profit community based organisation in Broome. It was established in 1996 as the voice of the Kimberley Stolen Generation people, living and deceased, and aims to regain justice, recognition and respect for Aborigines adversely affected by the State sanctioned child removal practices.
For more information visit the Fremantle Football Club website.
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