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The 2020 Indigenous round boots for Corey Thompson, from the Gold Coast Titans, were painted by Aboriginal Youth Mentor Caroline from DHUB- Dubbo Opportunity Hub, and young person K, one of DHUB’s ReachOut Participants as part of the Hub’s School holiday program. After hearing about Corey’s background and his passion for his culture and community we decided that including a student as part of the process was the perfect way to include the importance of Connection to Culture & Cultural Identity for not only Corey but our Aboriginal Youth in Dubbo. We used many different techniques, patterns and colours to tell his story and use this opportunity to educate whilst painting. The Red, Black, and Yellow at the back of the boot represents that our culture will always be our Achilles heel in all that we do pushing us forward. The black at white patterns on the back represent the where Corey played his junior football. It then leads to the team colours of the 3 Australian teams Corey has succeeded in through is career Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, and finally the Gold Coast Titans. The Goanna on the front of the boots represents staying grounded as the goanna is a strong representation of strength and resilience in many of our Aboriginal Nations in . The similarities in Corey’s journey and the journey of our Aboriginal youth are one in the same. Success & hard work whilst staying connected to your history and your culture. It is such an honour to be able to help the youth in our community through storytelling and art.

Cultural Choice Association - Boots for Brighter Futures 2020