By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK and District Football League side Nilma Darnum has taken the initiative and followed in the footsteps of the Richmond and Essendon AFL teams, holding their own Dreamtime game this weekend in support of national reconciliation.
‘Dreamtime at Darnum’ will take place this Saturday at the Nilma Darnum Recreation Reserve between the hometown Bombers and Nar Nar Goon.
A traditional indigenous ceremony will take place from 2pm, with the home side decked out in a spectacular themed guernsey to mark the occasion.
Nilma Darnum vice president and football manager Joel Wishart said his club wanted to make the game a regular part of the EDFL fixture, with a number of their players of indigenous heritage, such as the Wells boys – including Jay, the form forward of the competition with 39 goals to his name already this season, plus the three he slotted in the Ellinbank interleague team’s big win on Saturday in Maryborough.
“We thought it would be a great way of celebrating the indigenous heritage of a number of the boys,” Wishart said.
Essendon and Richmond’s ‘Dreamtime at the G’ clash is a hugely significant event on the AFL’s calendar each year and Nilma Darnum is hoping to host a dreamtime game each year in the EDFL, coinciding with Indigenous Round in Australia’s premier competition.
“We want to have as many events as we can,” Wishart said.
“We’re right at the end of the line (in a geographical sense in the EDFL) and we have to fight so hard to be sustainable.”
Any event that could help put the club on the map would potentially be huge for the Bombers, which constantly have a fight on their hands to stay competitive.
“The club has spent a lot of time and money on the ground, the rooms and the netball courts and we’re really hoping the community gets behind it,” Wishart said.
For more information, search for ‘Nilma Darnum Football/Netball Club’ on Facebook.
