Published on: 15 August 2014




Christ Church’s First XVIII wore its first-ever Indigenous guernsey on Saturday as part of the PSA’s Indigenous Football Rounds. Christ Church and Aquinas College competed in specially designed jumpers donated by Victory Athletics and the Wirrpanda Foundation.

Indigenous Program Co-ordinator Chris Miles said former Fremantle Docker Troy Cook, who is a Program Manager for the Wirrpanda Foundation, presented the boys with their jumpers after a training session last week.

Mr Miles said the PSA had followed in the footsteps of the AFL and others by recognising and celebrating Indigenous involvement in the PSA competition over the years, and which may be extended to other codes in the future.

Before the game, Aboriginal academic and elder Simon Forrest performed a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony. Despite the score line going Aquinas’s way (87-71), Firsts coach John Dimmer said the boys played a great game and had trained their best in the lead up to the game.

Future Footprints, which provides additional support for Indigenous students from regional and remote areas attending Perth residential schools, donated footballs for the Best on Ground for each team. Christ Church old boy Liam Bedford (Class of 2005), who played for Geelong and West Coast, presented Isovaine Huddlestone (Year 12) with his football.

Seven members of Christ Church’s First XVIII are from the School’s Indigenous Student Program. Mr Miles said the boys were very excited in the lead up to the game. “I think the boys were really proud and the game was an opportunity for them to showcase their talent on the footy field,” he said.