In the lead up to the Victorian Netball League’s First Nations round, the Casey Demons have identified the importance of education, perspectives and journeys from First Nations people in their community, inviting Travis Garner, the local Koorie Engagement Support Officer into the club to speak with the teams and give a deeper meaning to First Nations round.
Casey Demons have strong connections to First Nations peoples, with goalers Holly Stephens and Ash Hyde who have been leaders in both their netball and First Nations communities. Both players have been selected in the Victorian First Nations state team and were in the leadership group for the inaugural team in 2024.
Holly Stephens - Kurnai
Tell us about your heritage:
Holly: I’m a proud Kurnai woman. I have always lived on Kurnai country which is in Gippsland. I appreciate that I still live on country as I know many First Nations people don’t and I feel a strong sense of connection to the area.
My mum’s side of the family is Indigenous and my gran grew up on Jackson’s track which was a big aboriginal community at the time.
I worked off country in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) and have appreciated being accepted by another community. Through this role and my netball journey, it has enabled me to be involved with community through art, sport and attending cultural activities which makes me feel connected and proud to be aboriginal while I continue to learn about my culture.
You are a role model in your netball community and as a First Nations athlete. How does that make you feel? And how do you hope you can use your platform to inspire the communities around you?
Holly: I feel extremely grateful to be able to be a role model in the community as a First Nations athlete. I know that there are talented First Nations athletes that can play sport at a high level but unfortunately have barriers that prevent them in doing so.
I feel lucky that I’m able to play the sport I love at a high level and love representing my culture. I strive to make my community proud.
I hope I can use my platform to be able to make netball and sport more inclusive for all athletes including First Nations. I hope I can inspire communities to want to get moving and play more sport. I hope by representing First Nations people at VNL and state level for the First Nations tournament, that I can show mobs that sport and netball is a culturally safe space and they too can perform at high levels in whatever is their passion.
In line with VNL First Nations round, your club, Casey Demons has organised local Koorie Engagement Support Officer, Travis Gardner to the club to speak with the teams and give a deeper meaning to First Nations round. What do you hope the team gets out of this and why do you think this engagement is important?
Holly: I hope the club can get a bit more education of First Nations culture and get a better grasp on why we participate in First Nations round.
As a proud Indigenous person, I would love for people to know that there is a shared history of Australia and that First Nations culture is the longest living culture. That’s something we should all be proud of.
This engagement is important as for some people, participating in First Nations round is purely about wearing a beautifully designed dress. Getting Travis to come in and speak with us will give a deeper meaning to First Nations round and will make it less tokenistic.
I absolutely love wearing our dress, but I want people to be aware that this round is about more than that.
Casey engaging in this session really shows as a club that they are committed to being culturally safe and inclusive which is why I feel at home at the club.
How do you think clubs, associations and leagues can help with reconciliation and promoting First Nations athletes?
Holly: I think we’re on the right path for reconciliation, we just need to continue with education around First Nations culture and history.
We need to continue to support and have opportunities for First Nations athletes. We also need to create culturally safe environments.
Casey Demons will be playing in a First Nations dress for VNL First Nations round. Can you explain the artwork on the dress and why it’s so special to wear this dress?
Holly: It’s so special and important to wear this dress that’s designed by Kristel Petrevski. Every time I’m able to wear it, I feel as though I’m representing my community and my culture.
When I wear the dress, I feel as though I’m able to pay homage to the long history of Indigenous culture and the people that came before me who worked hard for Indigenous people to have a place in society so I can be where I am today.
The artwork on the dress represents Kristel’s country in Western Australia, her family and her ancestors, paying respect to them.
The footprints on our dress represent past players and staff of Casey Demons who have paved the way for the club and recognise them for all their help developing our club to what it is today. The circles represent the many different communities that support each athlete on their journey to playing for the Casey Demons. The symbols around the circles represent all current players and staff, acknowledging their connection to those communities. The paths linking the circles symbolise everyone's unique life journeys, all coming together as one team.
You were both selected in the inaugural Victorian First Nations state team and named in the leadership group. What was your experience at the tournament? And what did you learn from it?
Holly: It was honestly the best experience. It was my first time playing in a Netball Australia tournament and it was so great to see all the First Nations talent on show.
I loved connecting with all the Victorian players and coaches who I would’ve never met. I connected with them outside of this program and I feel so lucky to be able to have another community to be a part of.
Being a leader in our team was such a great opportunity that I loved, and I tried to lead by the front, being one of the more experienced athletes in the team and having lots of young girls.
I hope I was able to represent my community and those First Nation netballers before me who never had this program to participate in.
It was so special to see this tournament bring community together to show that the talent among First Nation netballers across Australia is flourishing. I hope that our team was inspiring to our younger girls coming through, so it now gives them something to drive for and look forward to.
This tournament was so great to be a part of as it really was bigger than just netball and it was a huge step in the right direction for reconciliation. I learnt that I am so lucky to be connected to my culture as not everyone has had the same opportunity.
Finally, what do you love about netball?
Holly: I love netball because it brings so many different people together from so many different walks of life. There are always really great people involved in netball.
I have made some amazing connections along the way that I’m grateful for and they make it all so much more enjoyable and fun. I love the competitive nature of netball while pushing myself to my best physically and mentally.
When I’m playing, the only thing I’m thinking about is the game and trying to win, I like that it can be a distraction in that way.
