A WARRNAMBOOL College student has designed the jumper Richmond players will wear during the AFL Indigenous round.
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Warrnambool teenager Trish McKean’s artwork was chosen to represent the club on May 30 when the Tigers play Essendon in the annual Dreamtime Game at the MCG.
Miss McKean said she was thrilled the league selected her design for the jumper.
“I am honoured to be designing for the Richmond Football Club,” she said.
“For them to wear my design is very special.”
The design of the jumper represents the stories and languages of the Kirrae Whurrong people and has been passed down from Miss McKean’s family.
Granddaughter of Banjo Clarke, Miss McKean shares her heritage with famous Indigenous musician Archie Roach.
Her mother, Fiona Clarke, and father, Ken McKean, are well-known local artists.
Miss McKean has also participated in local art projects.
“The design has a lot of meaning. The symbols mean a lot to me,” she said.
“Past, present, and future players are all represented in the minkgills, which is the symbol for the stars.
“There is also the rainbow serpent from the beginning to the future.”
The Year 12 student has been involved with the Richmond Football Club for three years as a member of the club’s Koori leadership program Korin Gamadji Institute.
Richmond Football Club Koori youth coordinator Luke Murray encouraged Miss McKean to enter the competition and said she is a “true artist”.
“I’ve seen her drawings. She’s very talented, this girl,” he said.
The Indigenous round is the AFL’s annual draw to recognise and celebrate Indigenous players and culture.
All 18 AFL clubs will wear specially designed Indigenous-themed guernseys.
The round coincides with Reconciliation Week, celebrating the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.
