My aunty and dad’s family used to move from house to house to avoid welfare officers. This generation of Indigenous rugby league players are comfortable standing up for themselves.
My aunty tells a story of her and my dad’s family moving from house to house frequently just so they could escape the threat of a visit from welfare officers. If you stayed in one place too long, the chance of that dreaded knock at the door would increase. They only had one set of school clothes, so every day they would wash it and make sure it was clean for the following day’s lessons. If it wasn’t, there was always the worry of being taken away.
That pre-season match has become a highlight of the rugby league calendar, but it’s so much more than that. It’s such a powerful week. We had a young player in camp this year who knew he was Aboriginal, but had little idea about his family. He was well aware of his Maori culture, but had never been told about his Indigenous ancestry. We were able to connect him with his family.
As part of our camp, this year we had players undertaking Aboriginal language lessons. It was organised by Dean Widders and while there are many different dialects, we encourage the guys to use the language when greeting each other. Some guys are disconnected from their culture, and it might only seem like something small, but it can make a big difference. When we send the players back to their clubs, we want them to feel strong culturally. I hope clubs see the benefit in that.
You see many 21-year-olds in the limelight, and they don’t know how to engage people or deal with them in certain situations. It just comes naturally for Ezra. He’s always been a strong advocate for the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This would have taken a huge toll on him and the fact he was in tears in the dressing sheds after the game tells you everything you need to know about how it affects our community.
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