Cricket ACT is extremely proud to have launched its REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) today, as approved and endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.
Staff, players, club representatives, partners and other key stakeholders joined together for today's event, which included a smoking ceremony, Welcome to Country and cricket-centric barefoot circle (around our First Nations artwork) to connect with Country for this important occasion.
Cricket ACT Chief Executive Officer Olivia Thornton said the launch of the RAP is an extremely proud moment for the organisation.
“This Reflect RAP is the beginning of our reconciliation journey,” she said.
"This document lays the foundations and is an important step for us in the demonstration of our commitment to driving sustainable change and creating a better future for First Nations players, officials, administrators, volunteers, staff and their families.
“We're committed to implementing our RAP and actioning the deliverables within it, and in doing so, we hope to do our part to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”
In attendance today was proud Ngunnawal man Joel Bulger, who comes from a well-known local cricket family. The Bulger surname is synonymous with cricket in and around the ACT, hence it was fitting that Joel performed the smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country for the RAP launch.
"My family's got a great connection to ACT cricket through my uncle (Neil), my dad (Vince) and my brother," Joel said.
"To be here for the RAP launch is amazing."
When asked what he'd like to see in the future to strengthen connections for First Nations people to cricket in the ACT, Joel believes getting more Indigenous players is the key.
"They're very talented kids and most of them are gifted too. It's not something that they're taught, it's something that's in their blood; in their spirit," he said.
"The gift that Indigenous people give to sport and to cricket is unbelievable; it would be good to see more of that in ACT Cricket, the Meteors and the Comets."
To support Cricket ACT's work in implementing this Reflect RAP an Aboriginal Advisory Committee has been established.
These Committee members will impart their wisdom and knowledge, and help us to strengthen our connections with community, to ensure we deliver our RAP with meaning and impact.
Commitee member Jonathan Hill is a passionate cricketer, but he's equally passionate about Indigenous education and reconciliation. A teacher in the Jervis Bay area, he teaches at the Jervis Bay School (part of the ACT) where the student population is 95 per cent Indigenous.
One of his goals on the committee is to find a way to allow First Nations peoples to fall in love with the game. As someone who has been in and around cricket for more than three decades, Jonathan believes cricket is one of the best ways to provide opportunities.
"We want to harness the momentum (created here today) and find ways that we can forge strong relationships with First Nations communities in and around the ACT, to hopefully move things forward and bring reconciliation to action."
The launch of the Cricket ACT RAP coincides with a competition-wide Reconciliation Round across all grades in ACT Premier Cricket this weekend, with our clubs finding new ways to connect with First Nations representatives in their respective communities.
“Sporting clubs like ours have a huge reach into the community across a variety of age groups, and I think Reconciliation Round is a great way to help people become more aware of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and rights,” Weston Creek-Molonglo Cricket Club President, Luke Hickey, said.
“We are proud to have Indigenous Australian players at our club and I know this round, our First Nations-inspired playing shirts and our wrapped middle stumps mean a lot to the players and their families.
“The barefoot ceremonies allow players from both sides to come together and acknowledge and show respect to the Traditional Owners of the Country we are fortunate to live, and play cricket on.”
Cricket ACT joins a network of more than 2,200 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.
We wish to thank all of our cricket community, as well as the broader community and our corporate partners, who have assisted and continue to assist us on our reconciliation path.
"As an organisation, we encourage you to walk with us on this important journey," Olivia Thornton said.
Article by Dinah Bryant and Brett McKay