Mt Druitt Town Rangers get into the NAIDOC Week spirit

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s outfit Mt Druitt Town Rangers will be sporting special Indigenous jerseys in their round 19 clash against the Wollongong Wolves at Popondetta Park tonight.

One of the club’s major stars in Jack Stewart, who hails from the Kamilaroi mob from Tamworth, has been a huge influence in the club’s promotion of the First Nations people.

“I’m so proud of my Indigenous background. Being able to say I’m Aboriginal and being part of the Indigenous community is something I take great pride in it. My family and I are fully embracing our culture and continuing to learn and build our understanding of it and how we can better our Indigenous community.

“To me, being Aboriginal is something that no one can every take away from me, it’s something that I’m the proudest to say as I see my people as fighters, and it gives me strength in my day to day life.

“Mt Druitt have been very supportive of my Aboriginal culture. From the players to staff, everyone has really embraced it and yes, we had a smoking ceremony before training a few weeks back. Stewart (Montgomery) asked me if I would be able to organise something for the boys to try and up our spirits and the club’s vibe as this year hasn’t been what we had hoped for. I’m honoured to have a connection with Uncle Wes Marne, a Bigambul man, who has lived in Mount Druitt for more than 45 years, and, at 100 years continues to share and educated our community. He is a true leader in our community, and we were lucky enough to have Uncle Wes, Aunty Karen and Ian lead our team through a smoking ceremony and speak to the boys about our culture and a little history about what a smoking ceremony is. The club were amazing about it and all the boys were very respectful and enjoyed the night.”

Mt Druitt’s Stewart Montgomery has equally embraced the club’s push for promoting the game to the Indigenous community.

“We are very proud to be supporting our First Nations people and Jack has been a great ambassador for that for us as a club as well as the competition.

“We look forward to continuing on this acknowledgement to our First Nations people for years to come.”