Written by Amelia Barnes
Netballers and footballers in Mildura have come together for the city’s first Dreamtime at the P event held on Saturday 15 April 2023 at the Mildura Sporting Precinct.
Dreamtime at the P was organised by locals including Ben Ridley and Damien Hall with a focus on building inclusiveness, acceptance, tolerance, and understanding between different cultures. The event’s aim was to raise awareness and encourage conversations regarding the challenges faced by Indigenous Australians and those from diverse backgrounds.
The event saw multiple football and netball matches played, concluding with the main football event between the Sunraysia Football Netball League representative team and the Central Australia Redtails who travelled from Alice Springs for the event.
The Millewa Football League all-stars team and the Mallee Tigers also competed in a football curtain raiser.
Three netball games were played on the day between Sunraysia vs Mallee Tigers (Under 18s); Sunraysia A vs Sunraysia B all-stars (A Grade); and Millewa all-stars vs Mallee Tigers (A Grade).
Both the Sunraysia Football Netball League and Millewa Football League host football and netball competitions in the region of north-western Victoria and south-western New South Wales.
The Mallee Tigers Football Netball Club is an Indigenous representative club who compete in the annual Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd (VACSAL) State-wide Senior Football Netball Carnival.
Tati Tati woman and Mallee Tigers athlete/coach Melissa Kennedy said the region’s netballers were excited to be involved in the inaugural Dreamtime at the P event. “The community really got around the day and it was a good example of the talent we have in the Mallee.”
She says the event was especially important for building awareness of the Mallee Tigers club who have achieved great success at recent VACSAL carnivals. Originally called the Sunraysia Tigers, the club became Mallee Tigers in 2015 to involve all players from the region.
“I was surprised to find most of the non-Indigenous community didn’t even know our club existed, let alone the standing we have state-wide as being one of the most competitive clubs to face,” said Kennedy.
“We have been building as a club over the last five years to become a powerhouse in the state. In 2022, we had teams in every division of football and netball [at VACSAL] – one of the only clubs in the state to do so.”
The Mallee Tigers men’s A Grade football team have won two VACSAL titles over the past four years, and the women’s senior netball team have advanced to A grade. Dreamtime at the P marked the first time the club played at home in front of their community.
The Mildura local government area has the highest proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria, making events such as Dreamtime at the P especially pertinent.
“Combining tough issues and sports is a way to raise awareness and conversations in a space that people feel comfortable in. It is also a way to show how similar we are, rather than highlighting our differences,” said Kennedy.
“Sport is such a crucial way for our communities to be role models and provide opportunities for young people to live happy, healthy lives.”
Dreamtime at the P was a resounding success with positive feedback from spectators. Ambassadors who attended the event included retired AFL footballers Paddy Ryder (who played for the Central Australia Redtails in their match), Kevin Sheedy, and Anthony Koutoufides.
It is proposed that Dreamtime at the P will become an annual event.
