League heavy kills junior games
Rugby League seems unable to emerge from a storm of scandals. This one is small beer in the big scheme of things, but it has the Redfern Aboriginal community and Councillor Marcelle Hoff up in arms.
Sunday July 11 was the end of NAIDOC Week, and the final event locally was to be a 5-game comp between junior teams Redfern All-Blacks (RAB) and La Perouse teams at Redfern Oval.
Rain during the week cast doubt on the fitness of the oval, but the City of Sydney Groundsman reported on the Friday that two or three games could still go ahead unless the weather improved.
The weather did improve, with fine weather over the weekend. The field had been cut and marked for play, everyone was invited, the teams were kitted up, and Council had erected a facilities tent and hired musicians.
But that morning, without notice, an edict was issued by Rod Gorman, CEO of Souths Juniors Rugby League Club – all games were off.
The whole shebang was moved to La Perouse and the games went ahead, but an angry Cr Hoff described the move as “Totally disruptive”. Many spectators turned up at Redfern to see the non-existent games.
She said Redfern community members addressed a Board Meeting at the club on the Monday night but they had been “treated with contempt”.
The club tried to blame the ban on Council, but Cr Hoff denied this.
Rod Gorman has remained silent, refusing to come to the phone or respond to questions when City News phoned his office.
But aggrieved Redfern locals are speaking up.
“We believe this was a racist act,” said Millie Ingram, an Aboriginal elder and community worker who is a member of the Redfern Aboriginal Authority, and umbrella group for several other bodies.
“The dispersal of our people has been happening for 200 years, and it’s still happening,” she said.
“This unilateral decision put grass in front of people, and everyone’s upset.”
Ms Ingram said she had been a Rabbitohs supporter for 40 years. The NRL team trained on the oval, and Souths Juniors should be encouraging the growing Rabbitohs stars of the future.
Shane Phillips, RAB manager, said the decision had been “arrogant and inconsiderate”.
by Michael Gormly
