Fremantle players and staff were welcomed to the Gold Coast on Tuesday evening by the Yugumbeh Dancers, who performed a smoking ceremony at the club’s high performance centre at the Royal Pines resort.
Michael Walters, who has Noongar heritage from his family in WA and Nunga from his family in South Australia, said it was a pleasure to receive a welcome from an Indigenous dance group from a different region of Australia
“I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of other Indigenous dance groups and over my time through footy and also with my family as well,” Walters said.
“To see another Indigenous language group do it and show us the way they do it was great for us.
“It obviously makes me feel proud. I’m a strong Indigenous man from Perth, I’m Noongar and Nunga as well, so to have these guys come down and show us their dances and welcome us to their land, is massive.
“At the Fremantle Dockers, we have a strong Indigenous culture, past and present, so it was good that we got it done.”
The ceremony forms part of the club’s RAP (reconciliation action plan), which was developed with the assistance of the club’s no.1 ticket holder Dr Richard Walley and Woodside, the club’s Indigenous program partner.
