© ATOM 2012 A STUDY GUIDE by marguerite o’Hara
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-200-0 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au ‘I don’t feel like I am just fighting for myself. I’m fighting for a bigger cause than just me. I think about winning, because when I win, we all win.’ Anthony Mundine
Aaron Pedersen
This is a program that showcases six Indigenous Australians who have had an enormous impact in a number of sporting codes. Some like Anthony Mundine and Nova Peris may be well-known while others such as Kyah Simon and Des Abbott may not be so familiar. They all have stories to tell of their lives and work as we watch them in action – sporting superstars. But the program also includes information about their off-field lives and backgrounds and we hear each one talk about Note to Teachers challenges, achievements and continuing work as mentors, role-models This program is preceded with the following and inspirational leaders in the Australian community. All are committed disclaimer that: ‘Aboriginal to making a difference to perceptions and expectations of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this Australians. video might contain images of deceased persons’. Whilst Who We Are – In Sport uses the theme of sport to focus on For students unfamiliar with this notice, teachers SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 the stories of six Indigenous Australians, the documentary is not just could point out that for about sport. Who We Are – In Sport is also about how sport works as many Indigenous people and communities it can be a catalyst for social change and has enabled people to overcome social distressful to view and can be considered offensive to and political barriers in Australia. It is a story about people who, at the depict persons who have elite level in their respective fields, manage the pressures of fame, social died. This program does contain images of people expectations and the legacy they will leave behind. who have died. 2 Synopsis Olympic gold medallist, world As several of the participants in this program champion, captain of Australia, a acknowledge, we hear and see a great deal in the Australian media about Indigenous disadvantage competitor who revolutionised his in health, education, housing and employment. sport, an athlete who achieved firsts Negative stereotypes abound, and while it is true at Olympic and Commonwealth that many Indigenous Australians do suffer disad- Games – they are champions, sports vantage, we rarely see inspirational stories about the stars, Indigenous Australians. In Who endeavours of Indigenous Australians who are much We Are – In Sport Nova Peris, Mark more than sporting stars; they are also role models and community leaders. This documentary is not Ella, Kyah Simon, Des Abbott, Phil Aaron Pedersen just about sport. It is also about how sport works as Krakouer and Anthony Mundine talk a catalyst for social change and has enabled people about their experiences, achievements to overcome social and political barriers in Australia. and challenges on the track, in the ring, This very enjoyable program goes some way to redressing an imbalance of perceptions. on the sports field – and in life. The film Hosted by Aaron Pedersen and richly runs for Background illustrated with contemporary and approximately archive material of these and other 48 minutes. Indigenous Australians—Aboriginal and Torres Indigenous athletes in competition, Strait Islanders make up 2.3% of the total Australian population, according to the 2006 Who We Are – In Sport offers a rich and Census data. However, they are significantly stimulating insight into the lives of over-represented in several sports, particularly some of our greatest champions. in Australian Rules Football (AFL) where they make up 11 % of AFL lists. In 2011 there were 78 Indigenous players on AFL team lists. The fig- Curriculum Relevance Indigenous ures are similar in Rugby League although fewer Australians are Indigenous Australians have played Rugby Union Who We Are – In Sport would be an excellent pro- — in fact only 11 have played for the Wallabies. gram to show to secondary students at all levels significantly in a number of curriculum areas. These include over-represented Many Indigenous Australians have excelled in a Health and Physical Education, English, Personal in several sports, number of other sports at elite levels, such as Development, Indigenous Studies and Values particularly in Lionel Rose and Anthony Mundine in boxing, Education. Australian Rules Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris, Kyle Vander-Kuyp Football (AFL) and Patrick Johnson in athletics and Yvonne The ‘draft shaping document’ on Health and Goolagong Cawley in tennis. Physical Education for the new National Curriculum where they make was published in March, 20121. The Introduction to up 11 % of AFL Despite the overseas success of an Aboriginal this document notes that: H & PE addresses how lists. Cricket team in the 1860s, Indigenous Australians factors such as gender, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, are under-represented in this sport at a national level socio-economic status, environments and geo- with only three having played at the national level. graphical locations influence the health, well-being and physical activity patterns of individuals, groups After watching this program, students might like to and communities. In turn, it provides opportunities discuss why Aboriginal Australians are so unevenly for students to develop the skills, self efficacy and represented in sports and why they are so spec- dispositions to advocate for their own and others tacularly successful in certain sports such as AFL well-being, thereby making a positive contribution and NFL football. to the future for all. Aaron Pedersen, an Australian actor and an ac- The proposed curriculum also emphasises the need knowledged ‘sporting tragic’ narrates the program for intercultural understandings between the many and conducts interviews (which are really more like diverse groups and cultural backgrounds that make chats), with all six of the athletes featured. He is up the broad spectrum of Australian society. one of Australia’s best known actors, performing on SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 stage, on the small screen and in many feature films. Clearly, active and regular participation in physical activity has many benefits for everyone, whether For junior secondary students Activity 1 may be they are aiming to compete at the highest level enough to engage them with the stories told in this in their chosen field of sport or for health, fitness film, while middle and senior students may like to recreation, social and personal satisfaction. The tackle some of the more complex issues raised individuals whose sporting journeys we follow in in the later activities in this guide about sport and this film tick all the boxes in the Introduction to H & Aboriginality. PE, described in the draft document. 3 Who We Are – In Sport A Bearcage documentary for Foxtel’s Bio Channel
Aaron Pedersen Host
Michael Tear Executive Producer
Allan Collins Director and Co-Writer
Harriet Pike Producer
Chris Bamford Editor
Michael Cove Co-writer
Murray Lui Student Activity 1 Student Activity 2 Director of Photography The Six stars – their stories What do you need to succeed? David Tranter Location Audio To succeed in many sporting fields you need cer- In the order in which they speak in the program tain qualities which include determination, perse- they are: verance and passion. But there are other factors -- Phil Krakouer that help people achieve their dream to be the best -- Mark Ella they can in their chosen sport. -- Kyah Simon -- Anthony Mundine Thinking about what we see in this film about six -- Des Abbott very successful sportspeople, respond to the fol- -- Nova Peris lowing questions in small groups.
• Attach a main sport or sports to each individual from this list, first from your own knowledge, Body Type/physique then as a class group. Are they involved in— 1 -- Hockey We are not all born to run or kick or hit a -- Soccer ball or swim fast and some people seem to have -- AFL football more natural and innate skills in certain sporting -- Rugby League football areas than others. While in some sports, body -- Rugby Union shape and size is not necessarily an issue, e.g. in -- Tennis tennis, track and field, netball, swimming, volley- -- Cricket ball, cricket, baseball, golf and table tennis, there -- Boxing are successful athletes of many different shapes -- Track and Field and sizes. However, increasingly, fitness, stamina
and speed are all important attributes for people SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 Choose one of the six people and use the following wanting to achieve success in many sports. Many set of prompts to build a profile of that individual professional athletes are now often taller and as you watch the film. Not all areas listed will be stronger than average. addressed in the program by all the participants. See Table 1 overleaf. • To be successful in some sports you need to have certain physical characteristics. For After watching the film and completing your notes, instance, what are they in the following sports? you could share your responses and discuss com- -- Men’s and Women’s Basketball Above: Kyah Simon mon experiences for these athletes. -- Rugby football and Aaron Pedersen 4 Table 1
Chosen sport or sports
Family structure and birthplace
Introduction to sport
Education
Big break into sport
Age when first represented Australia Years when played sport at top level
National representation
Important awards and recognition
Particular challenges
Any racism felt
Life after retirement
Major goals SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012
Family support
Surprising information 5 3 Starting early Many professional athletes start their specialised training early in life, often with parental or sibling support. Others just have a childhood of playing outdoors, kicking a football or running or hitting a ball against a wall.
• How does what we see and hear of these athletes’ lives in their early years show us about the importance of starting early? • What are some of the common factors in their family backgrounds? Student Activity 3 The price of fame – the good, the bad and the ugly
People in my circumstance, if you can’t give back at some stage, then there’s something wrong with you. -- Boxing -- Weightlifting .....To be able to give something back so precious -- Distance running to these young girls is what we call the girl effect, -- Rowing and it’s about empowering Indigenous women— -- Gymnastics Nova Peris • What are some of the physical characteristics of each of the people featured in this program? Society wants to bring our people down and make • How can dieticians and other allied health us feel as though we’re inferior. So we’re always on professionals such as physiotherapists assist a daily basis fighting for equality, and fighting for a athletes reach their potential? place in society, you know what I mean? Just to be normal.
Self- discipline/ ... All you see on the TV is stereotype figures... motivation/ negativity. You know, drug addicts, alcoholics, 2 drop-outs. The list goes on. But why is our mental- determination ity as people like that? You know, it’s because the system and the structure feed us that—Anthony • What training demands are made on individuals Mundine wanting to achieve success at the highest level in their chosen sport? The fame and public recognition that often goes • How can family support help young athletes per- with being a successful sportsperson can be quite sist with regular and often demanding training? overwhelming for young people. Sometimes a • How can the need to leave your hometown and combination of lots of money, not enough to do family to undertake training and take up oppor- in non-playing time or when injured, and being far tunities to play your sport impact on your drive from home can be hard to handle. But it can also to achieve? establish a high-profile that can be a huge advan- -- For instance, how did the presence of his tage in inspiring others.
brother Jim make it easier for Phil Krakouer SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 to become a successful player in Melbourne • How do football organisations such as the AFL after leaving his family and community in and NFL now try to help manage some aspects Western Australia? of the off-field lives of young players? -- How was Des Abbott’s transition to Perth • What are some of the difficult situations players made easier? can find themselves in when they get into trou- • Can perseverance and resilience be taught or ble with drinking, gambling and other poten- even predicted in young sportspeople? tially damaging activities? • Why is goal setting such an important factor in Above: Mark Ella and -- Is such behaviour, as reported in the media, improving and extending skills in any endeavour? Aaron Pedersen more common with players from Indigenous 6 backgrounds? -- Is it any different to the way many young Student Activity 4 people sometimes behave? • Is it reasonable to expect our sporting heroes to Indigenous sportspeople be good role models both on and off the field? – a level playing field? Do we expect such consistently high standards of behaviour from other public figures? • Recently some high-profile retired sportspeo- What my brother {Jim} and I did on the football field ple such as swimmers Ian Thorpe and Libby was difficult. We were part of change, if you like, Trickett have returned to training in an attempt the way non-Indigenous people, the perception to kick-start their swimming careers. What they had of Aboriginal people, you know. And their might have been some of the factors that led perception was that Aboriginal people couldn’t play them to make this decision? What kind of ‘high’ AFL football, they’d go walkabout, they are town does Kyah Simon acknowledge about playing drunks, they’re smelly and all that. for Australia in front of an enormous crowd? • What kind of work is often taken up by past ...Nothing surprises you when it comes to racism players and athletes no longer competing? back in the ‘60s and ‘70s—Phil Krakouer People want to talk about closing the gap. I always say well what gap are we closing here, Some Indigenous players have to cope with situ- you know? Is it to assimilate us? Or do we really ations both on and off the field that can make it want Aboriginal people to be able to stay on the more difficult to stay grounded. However, statisti- same flat platform? It’s being able to change cally they are no more likely ‘to go off the rails’ the minds of Aboriginal people. Can they wake than people from any other background. Here are up every day and have the same dreams and several recent matters you could discuss. aspirations as whitefellas? Nova Peris -- How has Nova Peris continued to be 1 involved in Indigenous sporting ventures since she retired? Describe how she has Recently in Melbourne, a high-profile AFL been able to use her public profile to inspire Indigenous player has been the subject of intense Above left L-R: Murray Lui and encourage girls and young women to media interest after he was charged with a number (cinematographer),
pursue dreams to be the best they can? of offences following an alleged machete fight near Allan Collins (director), SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 -- What does Kyah Simon do to encourage Alice Springs. He had been home in the Northern Anthony Mundine, young Indigenous people to realise their Territory attending to family business when he Aaron Pedersen (host), dreams? apparently became involved in a violent alterca- and David Tranter (sound • What do many of these athletes acknowledge as tion. The charges have yet to be heard. There recordist) being the most important factor in their success? has been a lot of media discussion about how Above circles from top: • Which of the athletes featured in this program this matter should be treated, which has included David Tranter (sound most strongly exemplify the notion of absolute debate about whether the laws applying to other recordist), Allan Collins self-belief? Australians should be applied in the same way to (director), Murray Lui Indigenous Australians. (cinematographer) 7 • Has this situation been reported in the media exposed the wrongs of sport...stood up for himself in a similar way to that of other footballers who It doesn’t matter and his race— Mark Ella have been involved in off-field incidents? who you are; • Is there a stereotyped representation of indig- sport will find out • How can public gestures, such as Nicky Winmar enous AFL players in the media? something about pointing to his black skin on the football field in • See article Indigenous greatness obscured by you. How you play, 1993 in response to continuing racist taunts from stereotypes by Che Cockatoo-Collins. (Add to how you’re fast, people in the crowd, become defining moments references) strong, cunning. in Australian sporting culture? Do you stick to the • Almost 10 years on, how much has changed 2 established way, in the way Indigenous players are regarded and or do you do the treated? How is racial vilification on the field There has also been controversy at the start of unexpected? Can now treated by the AFL and NFL? the season about an AFL player manager sug- you handle losing? gesting that clubs should be wary about recruiting Can you handle References and further Indigenous players unless they have a white par- winning? I didn’t resources ent. This has fuelled the debate about Indigenous really have those players being unreliable. questions in my Article exploring some of the difficulties Indigenous mind, but a great AFL footballers often face when they move ‘What if Indigenous Australians didn’t play footy?’ group of champions from their country, home and family to play top- (Question posed by Sean Gorman at the release of has given me level football. his book, Legends, the AFL Indigenous Team of the answers. Jonathan Horn, Away from the pack, Saturday Century 1905–2005. Age, Good Weekend Magazine, 24th March, Natural talent, 2012, pages 34 – 37 • How different would the Australian sporting heaps of it. But http://starwin.com.au/2012/away-from-the-pack/ landscape be if Indigenous Australians did not bloody hard work Two articles by Sean Gorman from Curtin play football? too. Pride in University on The Conversation website about: • Who has a right to determine and characterise performance and 1) Recent controversies concerning Aboriginal the degree of ‘Aboriginality’ of Australians? I.e. in who you are, footballers and if people identify themselves as being of Greek and in representing 2) The use of the term ‘black magic’ to background or Aboriginal background, should that to Australia characterise football skills this be accepted? and to the world. 1) http://theconversation.edu.au/what-if And in every case -Indigenous-australians-didnt-play-footy-5964 3 one more thing, 2) http://theconversation.edu.au/black-magic not the fame, not -white-muddle-more-like-it-549 Several Indigenous footballers, including ex- the money, but the Gorman has a long association with football and a Essendon AFL player Michael Long, have made sheer bloody love of particular interest in Indigenous footballers. positive contributions to the process of recon- the game. Sean Gorman, Legends, the AFL Indigenous ciliation, especially through sport. The Essendon Aaron Pedersen Team of the Century 1905–2005, Aboriginal Football Club, under coach Kevin Sheedy, success- Studies Press, 2011. fully recruited many talented Indigenous players Sean Gorman, Brotherboys, Allen and Unwin, 2005. and has a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in place, The story of Jim and Phil Krakouer designed to assist Indigenous players coming to the city far from family and community. This scheme has There are many inspirational films and documen- also been launched by other AFL clubs including taries about people achieving their dreams against Richmond whose RAP is named after one of their the odds through sporting success. Some of the greatest Indigenous players, Maurice Rioli. most recent and best Australian films and docu- mentaries include: • Research this scheme online and outline how Playing for Charlie, feature film the program works and how it is supported. (Pene Patrick, 2008) Two Fists, One Heart, feature film 4 (Shawn Seet, 2009) Never Say Die Matildas, documentary Once upon a time when we were playing and we (Helen Barrow, 2008) were growing up, I mean it was open slather. You Running to America, documentary SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 could call them whatever you want and the referee (Juliet Bishop, 2011) wouldn’t do anything. And yeah, you’d be cop- Boxing for Palm Island, documentary ping it from your opposition, from the people on (Adrian Wills, 2010) the sidelines. But now I guess the protocols have changed and it’s unacceptable in modern sport, ATOM study guides have been produced for these and that’s the way it should be. programs.
When Nicky Winmar showed the world how proud Endnotes he was, that was a momentous occasion...he 1 http://www.acara.edu.au/hpe.html. Go to H&PE 8 draft shaping document Who We Are – In Sport is available on DVD from Ronin Films PO Box 680 Ph: (02) 6248 0851 Mitchell ACT 2911 Ph: (02) 6249 1640 AUSTRALIA [email protected]
This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2012) ISBN: 978-1-74295-200-0 [email protected] For information on Screen Education magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit