Breakers unveil indigenous jumper

Coffs Breakers quartet Jason Yole, club president Jay Guthrie, senior coach Kevin Wilson and Nicklaus Stanlan-Velt proudly display the indigenous jumper the club wore in Sir Doug Nicholls Round 2021. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing

WHEN the Coffs Breakers run on to Fitzroy Oval on Saturday to play in their Sir Doug Nicholls Round match, they will proudly be wearing a design that tells the history of the club’s home ground and its connection to the land.

Saturday will be the first time the Breakers wear a jumper with an indigenous design and president Jay Guthrie said recognition of the indigenous history at the Old Camp was important for the club.

“Fitzroy Oval went through a major revamp a few years ago. And the traditional place being Fitzroy Oval is Old Camp, which means ‘meeting place’. So we thought it was important that we honoured the heritage of Fitzroy Oval and bring that to life through a Breakers indigenous strip,” Guthrie said.

The guernsey is designed by local artist Kevin Dumas who has captured the history of Old Camp, or Yaam Nguura Jalumgal as it was known by the Gumbaynggirr people who are the traditional owners of the land.

The centre part of the jumper where the people are sitting represents the Old Camp where the people used to live.

The light blue coming in to that camp represents the creek and the rivers around the Old Camp while the dark blue on the guernsey represents the rivers flowing into the ocean with the waves depicted by the white dots.

Guthrie said the design also has a distinct Breakers flavour about it.

“The indigenous strip is very colourful, it’s flamboyant. I think that emulates what the Breakers are about and the way that we want to try and play our football,” he said.

Coach of the Breakers men’s team, Kevin Wilson, is himself an indigenous man proud of his Ngarrindjeri heritage where he grew up in South Australia.

He said that the Doug Nicholls Round is important but he’d like to see more done to address racism in football.

“Sometimes I have views about that, that it is good that there’s recognition but I think as well as that recognition that the AFL right up from the main administrators to every administrator across the country needs to do more than have a significant round,” Wilson said.

“A few years ago I walked away from the football because of racial issues that weren’t addressed the way that I would’ve liked them to be. I think we’re still not prepared as administrators to take that next step to really come down hard on it.”

The coach said players who abuse others racially should have tribunals come down on them hard.

“I think for a lot of us indigenous blokes, we’ve been playing footy since the 30s, right back to Sir Doug Nicholls, Polly Farmer, Syd Jackson and all the indigenous lads that played in South Australia since the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, they’re are all still facing racism to an extent,” he said.

“I don’t think that’s good enough given it’s 2021. We’re talking almost 100 years and we’re still fluffing around the outside of it and I think that’s got to change.”

Saturday’s festivities at Yaam Nguura Jalumgal begin at 9.50am when the Breakers under-17s play against Sawtell/Toormina before the Breakers play women’s, reserves and senior matches against Port Macquarie. A celebration and welcome to country will be held in between the women’s and reserves matches. The main game is due to start at 3pm.