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♪ ♪
Football is a religion around the country.
Everyone I knew played AFL football, and you just played it.
Or had talent.
But I also make no apologies for working my backside off and sacrificing.
[broadcaster] O'Loughlin, two-time All-Australian player. What a champion.
I would string one game, two games.
[broadcaster] 500th goal for the indigenous team of the century star,
Michael O'Loughlin.
Magnificent.
[Michael] So, it changed our life.
[broadcaster] But what a day for Michael O'Loughlin,
the first ever to play 300 games
for the Sydney Swans.
[Michael] Sport brings people together.
You know, we're playing this amazing game called AFL Football.
When I'm running out onto a field, you represent your family and your community.
It's not a burden, it's a really amazing thing. Gives me strength.
Racism is alive and well in Australia and what's happening on the field is, I guess,
a bit of a reflection of what's happening on the other side of the fence in society.
[McAdam] You know, a lot of lot of non-Aboriginal people say oh get over it.
Well, you know what? You can't get over it if it's happening all the time.
I was getting it when I was under 12, and what it does to me--
it brings back memories, and I get really upset.
It just hurts. And I was racially abused last week and the week before that.
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of fighting.
[Michael] When are you going out and playing a game in front of 70,000 people
and to have someone over the fence yell out
"Monkey" or "Abo" or "black dog", it takes the wind out of your sails.
How do Aboriginal people find the strength to stare that down?
It's-- it's-- It's a huge task.
[broadcaster] Tarryn Thomas.
Our younger generation can overtake us and lead this country into the future.
[broadcaster] He's gonna make sure of it. Michael Walters!
It's quite simple how people wanna change.
There's still a lot of healing that needs to be done.
You've got to make an impact, and you've got to leave
the place in a better place than when you found it.
Growing up, I was dragged to football matches by my uncles and my father.
My mother. Like watching it and sort of participating
and I sort of picked it up quite easily.
-Good ticket? No? -I'll Facebook you.
I can't help you.
Oh yeah. I can get a kick here, you know?
Then I can go to another game and I could get a kick,
and I'm thinking okay, I can do this.
-Are you in this one too? -Yeah yeah.
[Michael] No worries, guys.
Yeah, it was football in front of me, and I just knew what to do with it.
Hey, man. Hello.
It was quite-- came quite naturally and it was quite easy.
You know the feel of the footy, the way it bounced-- I could see it,
and it was gonna go that way or it was gonna go that way.
I just-- I don't know. It was just that was really sort of natural.
[indistinct] don't I, ay?
Then as you go and sort of become a professional,
there's a lot of things you gotta work on.
The rules of AFL football...
is there are no rules to AFL football.
[broadcaster] Back it comes. He's in good touch, the big man.
You got 18 players from each team,
all trying to find some space to get their hands on the ball.
It's a bit like hot potato. The ball just keeps buzzing around the ground.
The skill is really unique. When you're up close in a stadium
with 70,000 people, it's incredible.
Yeah.
I love it, my family loves it,
our community loves it, and Australia loves it.
[broadcaster indistinct]
Parker picks it up, wheels on his right boot,
heads goalward, and kicks their third.
How would I describe my mum? Um...
Muriel is, uh, very strong-willed. Very determined.
I think, uh...
I think she can come across as really disciplined and hard.
Hello.
But she's she's an absolute softy underneath it all.
-Hello. -Hello.
-How are you? -Good, good, good.
-Lovely to see you, yes. -My mate!
She took an interest in everything that we did. So, whether it was sport
or what was going on at school or whatever it was, she was always there so...
But she's-- she's an incredible, incredible mum.
Good to see you, ay? You're good?
[Muriel] All good, yes? How was your trip?
Yeah, it was fairly long-- a long flight but we got here in the end.
-I think Rick is going to pick Derek up. -Yeah?
Yeah, we're going to go down to Salisbury North.
Oh, good. That's lovely, yeah.
[Muriel] There was a lot of interest in sport at that time and footy, and I think
Michael, being very young at the time, just absorbed all that
enthusiasm, family gatherings, and was just naturally gifted with
picking up a ball and kicking the ball around
with these brothers and cousins and uncles.
And there was always a football around, huh?
Always. Always was.
-A lot of broken windows. -Broken windows and...
Balls over the fence.
Jump the fence, go and get the ball.
Family means a lot and they offered support wherever, whenever.
Because Michael had a quite an extended family.
Cousins by the dozens.
-I think everyone when they popped over-- -Popped over to have a footy.
[Michael] I was like, Uncle, come and kick the footy.
And you can see sometimes they'd roll their eyes
but they'd come out and kick with you.
-So, it was like... -Yeah.
Everywhere I went. If I was going the shop,
I'd bounce the ball or whatever. I mean, took it to school.
-Everywhere I'd go. -Oh, absolutely.
-On the school bus... -But we were fortunate,
because where we live, there was
Auntie and Uncle up here around the corner here.
Nana was around the corner.
So, there was just everyone in this community at Salisbury North
that they just looked after each other.
Some of the lessons that you learn along that journey from
your aunties and your uncles, and especially in the football sense,
about looking after yourself, staying off the drink.
So, that was drummed into me really early as well.
Um... And then they spoke about a lot of the stuff with racism around sport,
but it was always about, you know, don't let that mess around with your game.
Keep concentrating on the football.
And I guess there was times where you wanted to fight, but...
had to pull it back and just concentrate, as angry as I was on the footy field
as a junior growing up and being called all these different names.
I knew that, you know, my Nana and my mum were watching and were always like, "Oi!
Come on, stop fighting, go back for the footy."
I knew early on that we had challenges.
So, where we lived and not much money.
So, people were-- certainly our people were-- always sort of floating
in and out of the football club.
That was just the place where I hung out and made great friends and
played cricket there in the summer and football in the winter.
So, everyone owned a footy, and it was easy to find someone to have a kick with.
What's not to love?
Wasn't till I probably got to sort of 12, and I started making sort of rep sides,
and I thought oh, okay, I'm all right at this thing.
And then, I think it was my mum and she said,
'You know that Clare gets paid lots of money to play football?"
And I was blown away.
I didn't know you could get paid to play football.
It blew my mind, and I went "Oh, what?" And that was it.
And I thought football, in my mind,
I can play, be really good, and I can help change
my family's path what we're on.
You know, five boys in one room, all in bunk beds,
and cousins sleeping on the floor. Like, I thought
I can buy my mum a house here, or I could do something if I'm any good.
He was still in high school in year 12 when the Swans came around to to visit.
We were like, "What are they doing here? What are-- what do these holders want?"
And we had no idea what to expect.
What-- I just thought oh, wow. It was exciting,
it was scary, it was all these different things.
[Muriel] Yeah, it was.
It was a bit of a culture shock from a local, uh,
community footy club into an AFL environment.
Um, it was a...
-Yeah. Shock to the system. -Scary thing for all of us, actually.
[Michael] The change from Salisbury North to Sydney was a huge step.
After the first week, I was done.
I was ready to go back to Adelaide and and go and live with Mum and work locally
and play for Salisbury North.
But again, really strong people in my life.
My mother, "There is nothing here for you. You have to stay with this opportunity.
It's too good to pass up. Not many people get an opportunity like this."
I look at a young Tarryn Thomas whose story, to me, looks exactly the same.
Tough neighbourhood, moved away from home-- a long way from home--
to try and live his dream.
[broadcaster] All by himself!
Inside 50. Tarryn Thomas.
As a kid, Tarryn was great, energetic, competitive,
Exhausting.
That passion, I think, got him really to where he is today.
[broadcaster] A talented young roo, and he's put it right through.
This is a really positive start from North.
Two goals on the board, and the cats have two behind.
[Michael] Tarryn, I obviously watched him from afar.
And I think for him now, it's just the consistency of effort.
I think that's what separates really good players from great players.
[broadcaster] Scoring a goal, and the crowd is up and about again.
There's some responsibility about that, and he'll find his voice will get
louder and he'll become, you know, more confident.
Yeah, I'm not a big talker, but... I'd rather have my footy do the talking.
[broadcaster] Didwell, Thomas. Tarryn Thomas turns, kicks, goals.
[Tarryn] Every time I step on the field, I...
think of my ancestors and...
yeah, all the brother boys that came before me.
Yeah, I'm just very proud that I can put on a jumper and play and
tell people my story on the field.
[broadcaster] And he kicks long and hits Tarryn Thomas
Lights out, on the run. He's got no one forward, though.
He's sitting out front.
[indistinct broadcaster]
It rolled all the way home anyway!
[Michael] I think the young guy has this enormous potential to be
a really great player in the league for a long period of time.
That could set him and his family up for the rest of their lives.
♪ ♪
[Tarryn] I had a pretty good life growing up.
Like, obviously I didn't have much, but...
Mom and Dad done everything for me.
Yeah, like in Doonside here it either you go down the good path...
...or the bad path.
In winter, it was football, and in summer was athletics.
So, it's sort of like we never stopped.
Never stopped playing sports.
Sports, sports, and more sports. Medals upon medals.
Go Tarryn!
[Jeanelle] The proudest-- proudest I can be.
You know, have my grandson-- watching him on television
every weekend playing AFL.
[broadcaster] He's only got one man ahead of him, and it's Thomas.
[cheering]
I reckon the first time it happened to me was at school.
I got called 'Black Dog'.
And I didn't really know what it meant.
But that didn't feel right.
Back in my days we was--
never ever talked about our Aboriginality at school.
Like, because none of that was taught to me.
And I've got grandchildren today wanting to know what tribe we're from.
We're Kamilaroi tribe, and their totem is the goanna.
To me, people don't think that we've got a heart.
You know, just because of the colour of our skin and stuff.
[Tarryn] Yeah, I'll do anything for Mom and brothers and sisters
to make them have a good life too.
Because they've done everything for me.
[Jeanelle] Tarryn's setting an example. Like I said, an ambassador.
To change. We do need a change.
But having someone like Tarryn to do this makes me proud.
Sorry.
It's amazing. How do you feel, mate?
Like, I've just got the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.
I very proud. Walking past, I'll still get goosebumps.
But I can see treaty and respect there, and such an iconic pose as well.
Yeah, I love when they took the knee before games
or everyone in the public took a knee.
So, I think that's very powerful having that voice.
Especially having my photo on the wall really relates
to my community saying no to racism.
Sorry it's not just us, All black fellows as everyone, as one.
Like we're just one whole big community and everyone to come together.
Just sort of the pose and what that represents back in America
where it all sort of started with Black Lives Matter movement.
And that now has-- has expanded around the world.
And here you are representing not only the people here in
in North Melbourne Football Club, but your people
everywhere around the country as well.
It means, I guess, a lot of different things to a lot of different people,
but to me it's about strength, culture. I mean, this is-- this is right up there.
[Tarryn] I wanna be at the front pushing what the past players have started for us.
Keep moving forward.
I'm very proud of you. Well done.
Listen, enough looking at yourself now, mate. Come on. Let's go.
♪ ♪
-God, Michael. -How are you, John? Good to see you, mate.
How are you?
[Michael] There's some cracking indigenous talent out there today.
[John] Yeah.
How have you seen that over the over the journey?
Well, as an indigenous historian, buddy. So I've, you know, followed the game.
All codes, all sports. And the reality is historically we couldn't get a go.
I mean, there were barriers. There was the colour bar.
It really wasn't till the late 60s and into the 70s that the doors opened for us.
But I think we basically kicked those doors down because it was the
incredible talent in our communities and the incredible players.
And once we got a sniff mate, no looking back.
[broadcaster] Keeps it in!
He keeps it in! Oh! Look at him! He's done it!
Absolute superstar!
Sport for us has been a vehicle for voice and asking for change and recognition.
But here certainly right across the country, right, there's a long history
of fighting for Aboriginal rights I mean, we come through the 60s--
and I said that's the time of great social and political change.
You had Charlie Perkins from the freedom ride, the Gurindji walk-off
at Wave Hill in '66. 1967 referendum, 92% of the population,
you know, supporting us. The '72 tent embassy.
And the early Aboriginal movement,
unbelievably nearly 100 years ago, had African-American connections,
African-American influence, African-American inspiration.
[chanting] They say "accident", we say "murder"!
They say "accident", we say "murder"!
[John] Because of what happened-- what we saw on TV with what happened
to George Floyd and many others in that space.
But that was such an horrific event.
I mean-- and then we stood up here.
And I mean rallies.
I know, with Newcastle, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, thousands of people,
and it put us back in the picture as far as the media was concerned.
And we could go back to, you know, the Royal Commission
and the Black deaths in custody, because those continued on.
The implementations of all of those things that were put up
and with, you know, deemed as being necessary had been ignored.
I see the jumper that you're wearing today.
We wear it proudly and so do a lot of our non-indigenous brothers and sisters.
-[John] Yeah. -[Michael] I mean, indigenous round.
Incredible for our people.
Always good to showcase our culture on a big stage.
-What does it mean to you? -Oh, it's-- it's inspiration. It's pride.
[Michael] The Marngrook round is a pretty special round
for all the indigenous players
that are playing in the men's and women's competition
And I know every player loves
to put on their jumper with the indigenous design to go out,
represent our football club, but also our culture and where we're from.
The game of marngrook, you know, there was these tribes that were
playing the possum skin filled with charcoal and stitched together,
and the ball just be sort of going everywhere and there was many as 50
to 60 people were trying to all get their hands on the ball.
One of the founders of the AFL saw this and went, 'Wow.
'This is an incredible, fast-paced.
It's got plenty of action involved.'
And I think the game of AFL evolved from that.
Now we have multiple players of our mob playing the game.
It's the time to shine and it's-- they leave their mark on the game.
[broadcaster] ...takes a magnificent grab!
First game is one that still sort of blows my mind.
[broadcaster] O'Loughlin's got it. Can he produce some magic?
Back to O'Loughlin. O'Loughlin kicks the goal!
Magnificent!
[Michael] Everyone I knew growing up was watching.
[broadcaster] O'Loughlin keeps it in.
He's good enough from there. [indistinct]
[Michael] I reckon there were some people who were surprised
to even see me on the field
who said, 'Wow, he's actually made it. He's actually there playing on TV'.
So I'll never forget that, and our lives changed forever.
For the better. I was able to string one game,
two games, three games, and eventually 300.
[broadcaster] And Sydney onto the ground. O'Loughlin has been a star. 300 games.
♪ ♪
Michael Walters, Jr is one of my favourite players to watch.
[broadcaster 1] He'll help himself. Walters has done it again.
-[broadcaster 2] Down to 30 seconds -[broadcaster 1] He'll step around.
He's not gonna waste anytime. He's gonna make sure of it.
[Michael] He's been absolutely super for their football club
and you know, a proud Aboriginal man,
um, playing in front of his home crowd and in front of his home mob.
It's an amazing career he's had.
[broadcaster] ...around the corner, and he is deadly inside 50. Michael Walters!
[indistinct] and Walters on the end of it.
It actually was just a vehicle that I could belong
to keep me out of trouble, but also, you know, I love footy.
So, I wanted to take every step to try and get to the highest level.
I felt proud to be drafted by Fremantle Dockers.
It's a Perth team. They have a great history of indigenous players
playing there, and we've had a lot of indigenous players come through in more
in more time as well. And there's no doubt there's going to be a lot more.
[broadcaster] And he's been a match with that.
He's been a goal kicker. Michael Walters.
His really great strength is his ability to be able to read the game.
You can see, when you're watching a game of footy, his mind's ticking over.
And you can see that in certain players.
And I see that in him. He's always one step ahead of everyone else.
[broadcaster 1] Michael Walters, he's come up big lighting games
the last few weeks. That one sneaks home!
He's the final quarter specialist!
[broadcaster 2] I love it. Great finish here by Michael Walters.
He's been an absolute star.
♪ ♪
[Walters] So I've got a big family.
As you expect-- Indigenous families, first cousin,
second cousins, uncles, and aunties. Just catch up all the time.
Ew, yuck!
Do you want some ham sandwich?
[Walters] My mum is more-- she's more the caring one.
She was always the one driving me to training,
driving me to games, having my friends sleep over
the night before games so we can all go there together.
There we go. We'll try a little bit of [indistinct] on your piece.
She was always the one that, you know, had
my footy clothes washed and ready for me in the morning for when I wake up.
When did you know that this kid could play?
Before he started walking.
He used to have the football all the time.
-It was nonstop. -Yeah?
In the house passageway.
I'm guessing, like my house in Salisbury North, couple of holes in the window.
-Was that a common occurrence here? -It was with both boys.
[Walters] She's played a huge part in my footy career,
and even now she's always the first one at the footy ground.
And I definitely owe a lot to her.
That much trouble with school growing up?
-As in like not you personally, but-- -Yeah, well, the racial stuff, you know,
once or twice it may have happened to me in my junior footy.
-Yeah. -From other clubs.
I experienced it on the field more so than I did anywhere else.
Out in the footy field as a junior, I would was trying to,
you know, spar everyone because I was upset
and I didn't understand why they were calling me these names.
But that was what they were trying to do-- they try to put me off my game.
[broadcaster 1] That's going to be a free kick, so the [indistinct] continues.
[broadcaster 2] [indistinct] was he?
[broadcaster 1] Continued in the second.
[Michael] When you talk about race and vilification,
no one was speaking about any of that
until Nicky Winmar, Michael Long, and even our players before then--
the Syd Jacksons of the world and Polly Farmers.
You know, they went through hell and back to play this game at that they loved,
and they would have had to have felt that the game doesn't love him back.
They copped it nonstop from players.
Umpires did nothing about it. And they cop it from the crowd.
It was everywhere and it was-- it was accepted.
It was always whatever happens on the field, stays on the field.
Almost like you black fellows need to stay in your box.
It took some people with some incredible courage
who were going, 'No, no, that's bullshit. We're not putting up with that anymore.'
[reporter] The victory was overshadowed by an alleged racist taunt
involving Goodes in the dying minutes.
I can't imagine how strong and resilient they must must have been.
And, you know, the football field is the place of their work.
Well, I was a young boy when I saw Nicky lift his jumper,
and I remember it was everywhere.
So, he's become this light that-- because play-- these players,
they went through it every week.
I feel an immense pride when I see statues like this in our story
being told and people celebrating our culture.
[Walters] I feel proud because guys like
Nicky are the ones that paved the way for us younger generation,
and it's on us to also hand the baton over to the younger players
coming through as well, so there's no doubt there's a sense of pride,
not only for what he's done, but pride for my culture as well.
Sports changes a lot of conversations in terms of racial discrimination.
The AFL has been massive in promoting the diversity
in sport and also creating conversation in other areas which
at time in other workplaces, it would be hard to do that.
Or the added pressure that, you know, the Nicky Winmar and guys
like that in the past had to put up with, it would have been hard.
[Michael] Nicky and Michael Long and what they had been through and the struggle.
You know, every time I step out on that footy field,
I'm there to showcase my talent and try and win footy games.
But also I'm there to lead and be a role model
for the next generation coming through.
♪ ♪
[Walters] My pride in my culture, in terms of going out in the footy field,
gives me the biggest uplift.
♪ ♪
I want to see young indigenous kids come through
and dominate and play on real footy
and forge a career for themselves and their family as well.
It's always good to walk the street and people calling your name.
And yeah, seeing young kids walk around in my, you know,
my number on their back is massive.
What's goin' on?
-How are you? -Very good. Yeah, Michael O'Loughlin here.
-Hey. How you doin'? -All right, good to see you. All right?
-Just showing me the neighbourhood. -Yeah, showing him through.
Hey, who's the Fremantle fan here?
Any West Coast fans? Any Sydney Swans fans?
Ah, you fellows can go away.
Nah, he follows gaming.
[Walters] My family was strong indigenous people.
We always knew where we came from. They always go back to country.
They always go back down south to Albany and all in the great southern areas.
And there's no doubt, you know, our love for those places,
and our culture stems from that.
-How are you? -I had one photo with you before.
[Walters] From the older generation just teaching us about it,
and they always instilled in us to remember where we come from.
On three, everybody say "Swans", right?
"Freo" on 3. 1,2,3...
[all] Freo!
♪ ♪
[Michael] The AFLW is a real shining light.
There's this incredible buzz around the game.
[broadcaster] ...has been a part of her first game at The X Factor,
and she's got her first ever goal.
[Michael] These strong, incredible, proud black women are, um,
just amazing and they're inspirational for our younger generation as well.
-How are you? -How are you?
Nice to see you. How you going?
Yeah, really well. You can't be here and not wear purple.
Sorry.
A little bit different to what I'm used to.
But you know, I'm on your country. It's the land of the Nunga.
It is.
-This is a very special place then. -Oh, it absolutely is.
The role the AFLW was playing here in the community...
-Yeah. -It must be because it's going
from strength to strength around the country.
And what is it like here in Perth?
It's now hard for me to imagine what our club
-would be like without the women's team. -Absolutely.
It would be diminished.
[Haywood] You know, it'd be a damn sight quieter as well.
You know, like-- but the energy that they bring into
the club and onto the field and with each other and with everyone else
is amazing.
An inspiration for our younger generation.
Yes.
Looking up to these incredibly strong women
and playing the game that we love.
[broadcaster] ...on the left foot. Will it carry in the breeze?
It will. She gets the bounce.
And Maddy Prespakis, the youngster.
I've always said that AFL football has been an incredible vehicle for our people
to learn about school, education, healthy lifestyles, employment.
I think for me, one of the things that it did early
is it showed other people that we could do it.
More importantly, it showed us that we could do it.
And if we could do it, others could do it as well.
The representation of First Nations people,
where we are only about 3% of the national population,
in the AFL-- men's teams as well as our women's teams--
we are between 11% and 13%.
[Michael] What's really, I guess, unique is that
you talk about our culture, but you talk about our bloodlines
and then that talks about country.
And country makes you strong. Culture makes you strong.
♪ ♪
[Michael] How long you been living here for now?
[Muddy] In this house? 20 years, 21 years.
-And the youngest out of... -About 14.
14 kids.
-My Papa's brother. -Yep, yep.
What are you?
-No one's there. -Explain this one to me.
This is my [indistict] Can you read this? Yeah, that's my exemption papers.
Says that you shall state that you shall cease to be an aboriginal
for the purposes of leaving out. That's what we used to call a dog ticket.
How old were you?
I was only three years old when I got that.
If at any time the Aborigines Protection Board
has an opinion that the said Michael Victor O'Loughlin--
you-- is not of such character and standard of intelligence and
and development as to justify the continuance of his of this declaration,
the Aboriginals Protection Board may revoke this declaration.
Unbelievable.
But you see the one there? It says, "cease to be an aboriginal
for the purpose" of leaving out the more black colours.
A lot of fellas didn't wanna sign it, but a lot of people wanted to get away
from the mission to make a better life for their--
To go [indistinct] or whatever.
-Go work, foreign work. -Live on the [indistinct] then.
That's the one that gets me, where you "cease to be an Aboriginal".
So, this is a general certificate of exemption. Additional benefits.
"Additional benefits include walk freely through town without being arrested."
-[Muddy] Yep. -[Michael] Brackets, "note curfews apply".
"Enter a shop or hotel. You may or may not be served.
"Special conditions apply.
"In order to gain this exemption certificate,
"the following must be strictly adhered to--"
You're not allowed to "speak in native language.
"Prohibited. Engage in dance, rituals native customs. Prohibited.
"Associating with fellow indigenous people, including family. Prohibited."
You're not allowed to meet your own family out, see.
"You must assimilate into the wider community.
"If all conditions are met with and satisfactorily upheld,
you may also be eligible to live in town unsupervised."
[Muddy] "Unsupervised."
"This is your chance to be free of the Aboriginal Protection Act
and live like a white man."
-Crazy. -Absolutely crazy.
Dated the 10th of March 1951.
-Oh, this one line gets me though. -Which one?
"This is your chance to be free of the Aborigines Protection Act
and live like a white man."
All these exemptions and certificates and prohibited to do. Yeah, all these things.
And then you got but everyone play football together and then they went--
as soon as the game finished, they went their separate ways.
Yeah. [indistinct]
[Muddy] When I was playing, that was '67, '66 for Maitland A-grade.
[Michael] Yep.
[Muddy] I couldn't go in the pub after and have a drink.
[Michael] Unbelievable.
-Oh, this. -Yeah, so that was-- Yeah.
-[Michael] That is deadly. -[Muddy] That's a good old photo.
Like, a lot of good footballers come from here, huh?
-Oh yeah, here. -And then that younger generation--
obviously it all started with these mobby.
-And then the bloodlines went through. -Yeah, yeah.
-Yep, right through to, like I said-- -Given opportunities to play AFL footy.
-I went to Sydney. -Yep.
-And spent the rest 25 years there -And your mother said to me,
"Are you gonna back Sydney?"
I said, "No. I'm a Richmond supporter."
I'll support him when they're not playing.
I've been Richmond since 1959.
Yeah. Well, the one thing that I draw strength on being a long way from home
in Sydney is where I'm from and my bloodlines that run through the place.
-Yeah, your connection. -And my connections
to the Narungga, Ngarrindjeri, and Kaurna mob.
This is something that I draw strength on when I'm feeling
homesick or if I'm feeling...
I'm going through injuries or form or whatever it might be.
I think back to this place.
And people like yourself and Mom, 'cause I'm a long way from home.
-Yeah. -And I have missed out on a lot of things,
but I know that my journey is one that you fellows are really proud of.
[Muddy] You always got a home to come home to.
[Michael] Yeah, and I'm really proud of the bloodlines that run through the place.
-Yeah. -Teaching my kids that.
My thousands and thousands of grandfathers and grandmothers
have walked that country. Like, it's my roots and my bloodlines.
That's my whole life.
It started there and it's been there for thousands
and thousands and thousands of years. That's in the back of my mind.
♪ ♪
[Michael] Yeah, I love coming out here. This is, um, incredible country.
But the one thing I'm always aware of and and connected with is
that my bloodlines run right across this state.
And the Raukkan and Ngarrindjeri nations. My father's countries.
All do a really special place for me as well.
-Hey! -Hello O'Loughlin.
[Bill] Aye? Hey hey.
Hi, great to see you, aye?
-Welcome home, brother. -Yeah. It's great to see ya.
[Michael] It's always been about my people.
It's always been about Point Pearce.
It's always been about Raukkan and the experiences that our mob had been through
and how we were treated to to how strong we we've become.
And I think my great grandfather Millerum had the foresight to be able to go,
"Well, hang on, there's all these farms going-- popping up around the place."
I'm blown away that he sort of saw that
and how our future was going to change forever.
What do you got for the first one here, Uncle?
-I know that one straight away. -So that's Millerum.
[Clyde] That's why we come for the day.
I think he was six when he first saw a White person, and he knew that
what his knowledge that he learned from his parents and his grandparents.
We have a dictionary today because of his work.
And so, there's 700 or more words that he taught.
Who was doing that?
-No one was doing that. -No one was doing that.
Look, we've all travelled around the country,
and we know a lot of nation groups have lost, you know,
lost language and lost cultural practise. -[Clyde] Yeah, yeah.
And so we recognise that a lot of our people, our grandparents,
were broken-hearted people, were broken-spirited people.
And so, we we know that some people came through and some didn't.
And so that situation still is the same. We are still dealing with, you know...
terrible rates of suicide, youth suicide, alcoholism.
And so that's a challenge to all of us.
Are we-- what are we going to leave?
What do we invest our life in and what are we going to leave for the next generation?
♪ ♪
When I look at Michael, I see Michael as a little kid,
'cause I know his father and his mother.
I see him as Michael who played for Sydney, but I see him differently, too.
I've seen him, you know, in nearly every stage of his life.
And so what Michael is doing is...
fantastically important. We need people like Michael.
He's really this generation's Millerum.
Chills again when I sort of see this, you know?
-Like I can see my dad in it -[Clyde] Yeah, yeah.
I can see my dad's face when I look at that.
-[Clyde] Yeah. -Unbelievable.
[Clyde] Yeah. He's a solid man.
-Yeah. -You know, very--
you don't live in Rakkaun and not be solid.
Resilience and toughness are there.
[Michael] Aboriginal people are the most resilient people on planet Earth.
You have to be, compared to what we've had to put up with
and how we've survived on one of the harshest continents--
this unbelievable place we call Australia
that our people have cared and loved for so many thousands of years.
♪ ♪
I spent pretty much my whole upbringing at the shack at Point Pearce.
-[Michael] I remember building this. -[Scott] Yeah.
-You was about 12, 13, wasn't it? -Yeah, built it.
[Scott] But back in your day there weren't two big sand dunes either,
so I don't know.
[Michael] When you step back on the country, you feel-- I don't know-- you...
It's hard to explain. You feel whole again.
You feel strong. You feel strong.
[Scott] Nana used to bring us all through here.
[Michael] Yeah. Walk around, show us the country.
And I'm glad my brother's home too. You need this.
[Michael] And culture-- that's what culture is.
Culture gives you strength to do anything.
I could sit here and stare at this all day.
-[Scott] Beautiful, isn't it? -Mm-hmm.
No, I'll go every year everywhere like yourself,
-but I always like to come home. -Reconnect?
[Scott] That's it. And stay true to yourself.
You know, what we got learned, you know?
If you're not gonna be honest to yourself, who are you gonna be honest to, you know?
[Michael] Are rabbits still floating around here?
[Scott] Rabbits, kangaroo. Yeah, everything.
-Kangaroo? -The biggest mob.
-They're all through you, brother. -Kangaroo.
♪ ♪
Every weekend if I wasn't playing footy and every holiday, we were there.
And I missed that because I hadn't been back for a while.
Because life takes you on this journey you're on
with looking after your own family.
Explaining that to someone that is not Aboriginal
and saying, "Why is that place so special to you?"
Like, it--
my people have hunted and gathered there for so many years.
♪ ♪
-So this is it, brother. -Cool.
♪ ♪
Hey, let's walk out to this bit here.
♪ ♪
-Wow, that smell, mate. -Missed it, didn't you?
-[indistinct] -[Scott] ...good for you.
♪ ♪
One thing you know about Point Pearce...
No matter where you are in the world, that place will always be home,
and you can go back there, no matter what,
and talk to people about whatever's going on in your life.
They're always there.
♪ ♪
-Lovely, innit? -Smell that.
I know. I can smell them from here.
Kerry, did you want to do the onions in the fry pan?
[Michael] That's it.
[Scott] Aye, look at Nana Cougan.
-[indistinct young girl] -Oh, you knackered him well around there.
-[Muddy] Hey. -[Michael] There he is.
[all cheering]
[indistinct] asleep.
[Muriel] Took your time. Grab a seat there, of course. Sit down.
[Michael] I'll never be lost.
I'll always know where I need to go when I need to get back home.
[Michael] Yeah, we went to Point Pearce.
Went for a walk out here then we went up to the hill.
-[Muddy] Yeah? -[Michael indistinct]
[Muddy] Oh, all right.
Look at that black patch.
-You got the sand patch there? -[Michael] Yeah.
[Muddy] There's a black part on the other side before the roof.
-Yep. -I got about 13 crabs there one day.
Yeah, we thought coming in there slowly and just...
You're living in two worlds-- white man's world and an aboriginal community,
and making sure that our culture is still strong.
[broadcaster] Professional win from a professional outfit.
The Swans get the job done.
[Michael] Sport has been the vehicle for our people for everything.
Health, education, employment.
[indistinct chatter]
When you think about the education around racism,
sport is the place that has taken the lead on it.
My job now as a retired player who's played 300 games
who now sits on the Swans board is something that I don't take lightly.
I just watched you play years ago.
-Oh, mate. Been a long time ago now. -Yeah, yeah, I know.
[Michael] And it's one that I wear with a badge of honour.
It's-- I'm very proud of what I've been able to accomplish.
♪ ♪
So, I think giving back to community and the things we've always taught--
Aboriginal people do that. It's in our DNA.
Go Foundation's a really important-- an important part of our lives.
We've gone to communities, we've visited schools, and we've always
talked about education, healthy lifestyle, and listening to your mum.
Never forget where you're from.
Because if you don't know where you're from, you don't know where you're going.
♪ ♪
[broadcaster] Three goals to Michael O'Loughlin,
closing the second half.
And it can't get much bigger and better than that.
♪ ♪
[Michael] Yeah. I'm hopeful.
I believe in people. I believe in our country.
♪ ♪
But we need more people joining in on that fight.
We need more people lending their voice.
♪ ♪
You know, we need a voice.
No one knows Aboriginal people like Aboriginal people.
You know, we want that respect. We demand that respect.
♪ ♪