The challenges of life as a young Aboriginal is the inspiration behind the winning artwork in the 2022 NAIDOC Ball Design competition.
Mid West artist Darren Ryder also incorporated the positive role of family and community elders in his design.
Darren’s creativity will be printed on to 500 Mitre Impel footballs, which will be distributed to clubs, schools and community organisations across the State.
The NAIDOC Ball Design competition is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people in Western Australia.
It is run by Football West and our partner the Insurance Commission of Western Australia to coincide with the annual NAIDOC Week celebrations and to promote road safety. The Insurance Commission’s Belt Up message to highlight the importance of wearing a seatbelt will also be prominent on the balls.
Darren, who lives in Mt Magnet, used a series of blue, yellow and brown lines in his design.
“The blue pathway represents a young Indigenous person’s career in which they travel throughout their life with twists and turns along the way,” he said.
“The brown lines represent parents, family and elders helping them to stay on course and ultimately reach their chosen path, which is represented by the yellow line.”
The judging panel was made up of:
- Rebecca Hawkins, Executive Assistant at the Insurance Commission of Western Australia
- Jamie Harnwell, Chief Football Officer at Football West
- Katherine Dann, Women in Sport Coordinator at Garnduwa, representing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community
Mitre Director Gerrard Woods assessed the suitability of printing the design on a Mitre Impel ball.
National NAIDOC Week 2022 will be held between 3-10 July. This year’s theme is ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’
For more on NAIDOC Week, click here.
Filed Under: Community News