The Frankston Football Club recently marked the Sir Doug Nicholls (Indigenous) Round with pre-game events that were a great success.
At the President’s Dinner, members and special guests including Indigenous members of the club and of the local region, together with the 78 premiership players, reminisced about past Indigenous and community connections, with special memories shared by Bryan Mace.
After the dinner, before the game between Frankston and Brisbane men’s teams, a traditional Smoking and Cleansing Ceremony and Welcome to Country were given by Boon Wurrung Traditional Custodians Caroline Martin and her son, Ngarra Kulin, sharing with us their ancient customs.
Players and coaches from the Women’s and Men’s teams, board members, club staff, club members and special guests formed a circle around Caroline and Ngarra and were invited into the cleansing smoke.
For some it was their first experience of such a ceremony and they were deeply moved by it. Many people spoke of how wonderful it was to be involved and for the club to be providing such an important opportunity.
