CRICKET AUSTRALIA cricketaustralia @CricketAus 2020 NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIPS ALICE SPRINGS 27 JAN - 3 FEB 2020 Proud supporters of our national Indigenous women’s and men’s squads. To find out more visit commbank.com.au/cricket 2 WELCOME KEVIN ROBERTS. On behalf of Cricket Australia, it’s my pleasure to welcome all players, support staff and officials to the 27th year of the Imparja Cup and fifth year of the National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC). These championships showcase the very best in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cricket from around the country and the tournament is an opportunity for up and coming Indigenous players to stake their claim for selection for the women’s and men’s National Indigenous squads and future WBBL and BBL selection. In December 2019, Cricket Australia launched our second Reconciliation Action Plan. This plan celebrates and recognises the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the sport and pledge our commitment to playing our part to create a truly reconciled Australia. The NICC is a key element of Cricket Australia’s approach to Reconciliation; providing a strong platform to grow participation, a pathway for Indigenous cricketers and celebrating culture. Once again, we have seen the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants who play organised cricket across the country grow from 64,921 in 2018 to 69,092 in 2019. The continued growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cricket since 2013 is a reflection of the commitment of Australian Cricket’s leadership and focus on ensuring cricket is a sport for all. Beyond this grassroots participation, the NICC is about creating pathways for Indigenous Australians to follow. Pathways that ultimately lead to even more Indigenous Australians pulling on our national colours. Over the past 12 months, several stars of the championships Ashleigh Gardner, D’Arcy Short, Brendan Doggett and Hannah Darlington have achieved outstanding on field success. But it is not just the exploits on the field and the numbers of people playing the game that matter, it’s the need to keep uniting and inspiring both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through the celebration of culture so we can continue to be engaged, inclusive and passionate about the heritage of the planet’s oldest living culture. We thank our partners Northern Territory Cricket, the Northern Territory Government, Commonwealth Bank, Taverners Australia and the Alice Springs Town Council for their generous and ongoing support of the tournament. All the best to players, staff and officials for this year’s championships! Kevin Roberts Cricket Australia NICC.CRICKET.COM.AU 3 NT CRICKET PRESIDENT’S WELCOME DR BRUCE WALKER AM. I am pleased to once again welcome all players, officials and sponsors to Alice Springs for this fifth year of the National Indigenous Cricket Championships and the 27th year of the Imparja Cup. NT Cricket is delighted to be partnering with Cricket Australia to host this national cricket event. This national carnival of Indigenous cricket and Indigenous culture takes place on Arrernte land and we acknowledge the native-title holders, Lhere Artepe and thank them for their support of this event. At NT Cricket we want to play our part in developing Indigenous players who can go on to representative honours But we also want to encourage and inspire Indigenous communities all around the country through the values that underpin the playing of cricket as a game. A game played and enjoyed in backyards and bush clearings in communities of Indigenous people where-ever they live and whatever their age, gender or ability. The National Indigenous Cricket Championships and the Imparja Cup continue to enjoy strong support from The Lord’s Taverners Australia, the Commonwealth Bank, Cricket Australia, the Federal and Northern Territory Governments, State and Territory Cricket Associations, Alice Springs Cricket Association, Imparja Television, the Yeperenye Shopping Centre and other valued sponsors who are acknowledged in this program. This year we have been encouraged and supported by NT Major Events to build the cultural context for the carnival. With support from the NT Government Alice Springs Town Council has enhanced the quality playing facilities that are available to you. New change rooms and a grandstand at Albrecht Oval, new change facilities and shading at Jim McConville Oval and changeroom facilities at Flynn Drive Oval will add another dimension to your carnival experience. The energy and hard work of the team from NT Cricket and Cricket Australia ensure this event remains competitive and a real carnival experience for all. Our thanks go to our volunteers, the many match officials, umpires, scorers, statisticians and ground managers who contribute their time to this carnival and we acknowledge the family, friends and supporters who have travelled to attend the games and support the teams. The National Indigenous Cricket Championship and the Imparja Cup are important pillars of Cricket Australia’s National Indigenous Cricket Strategy. We are pleased to welcome men’s and women’s teams from every State and Territory in Australia as well as the growing number of community teams from across the Northern Territory and beyond. I trust that in addition to playing good cricket you will all enjoy exchanging stories of cricket, family and country well after the games have concluded. Your contribution to the record of national Indigenous cricket statistics, stories and memories of this carnival will ensure that we continue to have Indigenous heroes in the game. I wish everyone well for the Championships and an enjoyable carnival experience, good story telling and good cricket. Dr Bruce Walker AM President, Northern Territory Cricket 4 2020 NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIPS STUMPS STORIES VICTORIA PAINTED STUMP STORY The central circles in this design represent a community gathering, which in this instance is for agame of cricket. The lines leading to and NOOGALTOENGORRTTANI from the central circles are the many pathways that the community travel to meet as well as the many pathways that are available to the players to be able to make it to the top level. The lines across the pathways represent the many Indigenous players that play cricket across Victoria. The design between the pathways which continue through the community gathering, represent the elders that have laid the platform and foundation for our community to be able to play the sport that they love and enjoy. SOUTH AUSTRALIA PAINTED STUMP STORIES DESERT PEAS (By Jess Turner) The story that’s going behind the art, symbolises coming together. Its about the different Aboriginal groups, tribe’s and non-aboriginal people working together to form this wonderful state woman’s team. Its about the team travelling to Alice Springs in 2019. BOOMERANGS (by Marcus McGregor-Cassady ) The design is based on the different journey that our team has taken to be part of the Southern Boomerangs, whether it’s from the coast or the desert there’s symbols to represent that journey.. NICC.CRICKET.COM.AU 5 TASMANIAN INDIGENOUS TEAM PAINTED STUMP STORY The stumps for the Tasmanian team at this year’s championships has bought together some different aspects and objects that are significant to the Aboriginal men and women of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Tiger features prominently and the Aboriginal name for the tiger is ‘kaparunina’ pronounced ka-pa-ru-ni-na. Our people have passed stories down for hundreds of years around this mythical beast and the tigers distinct footprint is also part of the story. Also featured on the stumps are kelp baskets which emphasize along with shell necklaces the recognition of our women’s status in the community also showcasing their strength and resilience in maintaining one of the few surviving traditional Aboriginal crafts in Tasmania. The Mutton Bird on the stump represents the grass - roots practice of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community. The cultural practice of mutton-birding is much more than the catching and harvesting of them - it is the one common activity that still brings together sections of the community whose families have practiced this cultural activity over many generations. It will survive for generations to come into the future because it is a part of ‘who we are’. Also prominent on our stump are two maps of Tasmania. These are showing at one stage “our people were in possession of the whole of Tasmania “ and it also shows the different ‘bands’ , direct family groups and tribes that were present prior to European invasion. WESTERN AUSTRALIA PAINTED STUMP STORY Red yellow and black represents Aboriginal people from across our country. Bottom part is women coming from around Australia to meet. Middle bit Swan is WA, and WA players that are in the team. 6 2020 NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIPS NEW SOUTH WALES PAINTED STUMP STORY CRICKET NSW WOMEN’S TEAM. The girls cricket stumps design is about a very important utensil that was and still used by Aboriginal women today. A Coolamon is a hand-crafted wooden dish, which is used by the Aboriginal women when gathering bush tucker. The “Coolaman”played a very important role in a traditional woman’s life just as much as the Aboriginal man with the Didgeridoo. CRICKET NSW MEN’S TEAM. Ceremonial performances in Aboriginal people are seen as the core of the cultural life. These male stumps represent a “Welcome Dance“ from the NSW team to the other Aboriginal teams that are participating in the Imparja Cup. Ceremonies bring together all aspects of our culture -song, dance, body decoration, sculpture and painting. We call this the “Shake a leg Dance” NICC.CRICKET.COM.AU 7 NORTHERN TERRITORY PAINTED STUMP STORIES ALICE SPRINGS CORRECTIONAL CENTRE Since 2016, NT Cricket has partnered with the Alice Springs Correctional Centre to produce the artwork for Imparja Cup.