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At their core, football clubs are about people.
And at the heart of the Western Bulldogs 2017 Indigenous Round Guernsey design are stories about past and recent histories, the lands and waters of the Boonwurrunng People, the original inhabitants of the land we now call Footscray and the power of leadership and inspiration.
But it’s also symbolic of the relationship between the jumper’s designer, Kylie Clarke, Club legend John Schultz and Kylie’s late father Peter, and a phone call Kylie made to the Club in early 2015.
When Peter, a lifelong Bulldogs supporter fell ill, she reached out to the Club to see if his favourite player, the 1961 Brownlow Medallist, might be available to visit him in his final days.
Those that know Schultz won’t be surprised about what happened next. Peter greeted the gentile former ruckman like they were old friends when he arrived at the family home.
“Johnny Schultz!”, he cried. And by the end of the afternoon, that’s what they were. The two men talked for hours about all things football, Bulldogs and life.
“It was a beautiful moment for Dad, Clarke told westernbulldogs.com.au, this week. "It was the greatest gift I could ever give him."
Peter passed away in April 2015, but Schultz stayed in touch with Kylie, a Gunditjmara, Wotjobaluk & Ngarrindjeri woman who works as a Program Manager for Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in Geelong.
She’s also creative and paints in her spare time, and after last year’s Indigenous Round, she was inspired to come up with her own design.
“I thought ‘wait a minute, I might have a go at this, I could design an Indigenous jumper with so much heart being a Bulldog fan all my life, and sentiment in memory of Dad."
But Clarke's design is much more than a football jumper.
From the symbolism of the three Boomerangs in flight, to the dots that reference the 1954 and 2016 premierships to the Maribyrnong River and its connection to the Boonwurrung, it’s in many ways thousands of years in the making, but rooted in the present, inspired by the memory of her late father and her relationship with Schultz.
“I’ve used symbols that incorporate historical journeys and feats, leadership and guidance, as represented on the front and back,” she said
“[But] I was particularly inspired by John Schultz’s contribution to the club.
“There’s a strong sense of history and inspirational figures that shape our club and I wanted to create a jumper that also reflected that, so when the players wore the Guernsey it was something they could relate to and be empowered by.”
Clarke laughs a nervous laugh when asked how she might feel when she sees the Bulldogs run out next Saturday afternoon in a jumper she designed.
You get the sense that she genuinely doesn’t know what effect it will have on her on the day.
“It’ll be so surreal. I’ll be overwhelmed,” she smiled.
But for Kylie, the day and the week is about people, her people, including her Bulldog family, and she’s just proud to be a part of it.
“With the 50 years since the Referendum, I think it’s wonderful that the AFL are respectful of that significant moment in history.
“The Indigenous Round has evolved, then acknowledging both past and current players and today celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples and their culture across the nation."
The Western Bulldogs face St.Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, May 27.
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