Community members of all ages came together on Sunday January 28th to celebrate the unique cultures of Callaghan District’s netball teams.
Held in Jesmond, this day was open to all Callaghan District Netball Association (CDNA) representative, local and development players, sponsors, Netball NSW and regional Presidents. The day celebrated the diverse cultures of the Callaghan Netball community, and was an opportunity for teammates and parents alike to learn about each other’s heritage, and how it shapes who they are.
Co-President of CDNA Cherie Aoake-Puru shared the district’s ambitions for this event and all involved:
“We wanted to create a space where players feel okay to be themselves, and don't feel scared or shy to turn up to a netball court and play… we wanted to share who everyone was, and help them understand who they are,” she said.
This cultural day had been in the works since CDNA was first established, with preparation officially commencing in November last year. Since then, collaboration within the Callaghan community was vital, from the support of sponsorships to contact with the Elders of the Awabakal region. Aoake-Puru says that with such a big production, it was important for every culture to be seen and valued in all aspects of the day. Cultural ceremonies, activities and food were all planned with open minds and ears.
The CDNA cultural day opened with a ceremony, involving various traditional performances which each had their own unique welcoming ways. This included an Acknowledgement to Country, Aboriginal Cultural Dance, Maori Poi Waiata and Haka, a Tongan cultural performance, and a Samoan Siva.
Aoake-Puru describes the beauty of this opening which they had “collectively agreed to start the day with”, especially mentioning the Samoan Siva:
“One of the Samoan girls, she got up and did her Siva by herself. There were 200 people there, and she didn’t flinch a bit. I know within our community a lot of kids were too scared to do that, but she showed them they didn’t have to be,” Aoake-Puru shared.
The rest of the day was structured by both netball matches and traditional activities, with food from a variety of cultures available for all to try at any time. The games were organised as ‘First Nations vs Maori Pacifica’, and the first game saw some young players play their very first game of netball.
Maori Pacifica team working together toward goalThe juniors and intermediate matches were umpired by the first C badged referees of First Nations and Maori Pacifica heritage, all of them part of Callaghan's new First Nations and Cultural umpiring pathways. These umpires were clapped out onto the court, celebrating their achievements.
Cultural activities were held in between matches, with the intent to enrich players with traditional teachings and have teammates learn about each other’s practices and heritage. First Nations activities included boomerang throwing, and two art stations run by Auntie Dee and Uncle Mick, both teaching the kids about Indigenous art and giving them a go themselves. The Samoan and Tongan activities involved making the “Ula Lei”, a necklace worn for festive events and given as gifts to arriving and departing guests. The Maori activities involved learning the Poi and how to Pukana with aunty Corrie
Members of the Callaghan community were also enthusiastic to share their culture through their traditional meals. This included Indigenous curry, rice, dampers and scones with traditional jams and butters, honey and Maori Hangi Fry bready steam pudding, bana poki, Sapasui, and a traditional Aussie barbeque.
The CDNA Cultural Cay was received by community members with immense joy and gratitude, with Aoake-Puru reporting “so much beautiful, positive feedback from both people with multicultural heritage and without.”
The Callaghan co-president shared that the benefits of this event were already evident a week later at the district’s first representative training session, as players were able to connect with each other on a newfound, deeper level:
“You’ve got kids who’ve got skill, but when there’s a bond that’s genuine, they see each other for who they truly are. It was truly, truly beautiful.” – Aoake-Puru on CDNA’s first representative training session of 2024.
Aoake-Puru was enthusiastic to share that the CDNA cultural day is set to become an annual event for the Callaghan district, and encourages other netball associations in NSW to follow suit:
“This day showed our kids and their families that we do have communities within our community that can help them reconnect with that… All cultures have so much to share and bring to their netball associations” – Aoake-Puru on the importance of the CDNA cultural day.
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Photos courtesy of Bradford Creative
