The Warrandyte Junior and Senior Clubs have come together to celebrate Indigenous culture and its connection to the club, with the Youth Girls team proudly adopting the senior club's Indigenous jumper designed by Bunuba and Gooniyandi man and Senior Men's Vice-Captain, Nikoda Brooking.
Nikoda attended the Youth Girls Round 11 YJFL match on the weekend to present the jumper and gave the team a pre game talk about the design and his heritage. Nikoda said he was impressed with the game and assisted with awards after the game.
Nikoda worked collaboratively with his uncle on the design which features the Fitzroy River (big river) from Bunuba country and Margaret River (small river) from Gooniyandi country as symbols of Nikoda's heritage.
The jumper also features The Eagle (Warrana), a cultural symbol of strength, courage and bravery. In many Bunuba stories he is the man who takes no prisoners and is fiercely independent.
In Australian Aboriginal mythology, a Wurundieri dreamtime story tells of a great eagle; "the all powerful, ever watchful creator of the world", named Bunjil who "once gazed down upon his people from the star Altair and saw their wrong doing. Awaiting their return, with a mighty crash of thunder, he hurled down a star to destroy them". Where the star struck created a gorge in which much of the town today is located. Bunjil's people remembered the spot, and referred to it as Warrandyte, speculated to mean: "that which is thrown".
The jumper is worn by the Warrandyte Senior Club and the junior club will now adopt the same design to bring a consistent indigenous jumper design behind the whole club.
