The Magpies host Morningside at home on Sunday 26 May to celebrate Sir Doug Nicholls Round in what promises to be a fantastic community event!

The Senior game will be preceded by a “Welcome to Country” from the traditional custodian of the land Uncle Des Sandy and then the players, umpires and coaches will take part in a traditional ‘Smoking Ceremony” conducted by Greg Duncan, also a traditional custodian.

The Magpie Senior side will wear special one-off guernseys based on original art created by artist Jarred Lawton and commissioned by current player Chris Hunt.

The meaning of the art is nicely presented inside the neck of the guernsey with the following:

Culture: The centerpiece with the Magpie is surrounded by the yellow golden dots represents the sun rising, the magpies proud singing in the mornings is to remind the people of their important role in creation. The mining town of Coolgardie means "magpie" in the Goldfields Aboriginal dialect.  The yellow dotted circle is used to indicate the meeting place were our ancestors got together. Around the outside there is U shape symbols represent women and men meeting together.

Honour: The black and white dotted design represents the Western Magpies Powenyenna Oval. The footprints walking towards the field represent the fans, friends and family coming to watch the Magpies. Footprints coming from the left and right

Emotion and connection: The four black single feathers represent our ancestors, even though they are gone we are ready to take on the responsibility of sharing culture in some way or form. The Magpies position is that it is about to take flight, it is painted this way is to represent the teachings passed down to us and what we take with us.

Journey and respect: The white curvy patterns with diagonal lines crossing on the inside coming from the left and right side of the design to the yellow dotted circle are the billabongs where our generations before us shared their stories, educated their young, fed our people and raised our people. An important part of culture is respecting those past, present and emerging.

The host MC will be Magpie stalwart Wil Ivinson, a man of immense integrity and history with the Pies and in keeping with the day he has both Aboriginal and Islander blood with his mother from the Wakka Wakka tribe whose traditional lands were from just north of Brisbane up to the Gayndah area and his father also having both Aboriginal and Islander heritage with his ancestors from the Murrinh Patha tribe from near Wadeye in the NT and from Mer Island (Murray Is)  in the Torres Strait.  ‘Tracker’ as he is often known has played for the Magpies since the late 90’s and as recently as 2014, has coached Colts to Premierships, been a long term trainer for various senior sides (and AFL clubs as well) and is a current junior coach at the club.

The Australian Rules Football community celebrates the Sir Doug Nicholls Round this weekend across the country. Nicholls was a pioneering indigenous player who played in the 1930s and was somewhjat of a trail blazer but he suffered racial vilification playing football. He was a great Austrlaian and was the Governor of South Australia in the 1970s, AFL clubs have embraced this round in spectacular fashion with the wonderful Dreamtime at the G a headline cultural event, not just a game of footy. It must also be said that the guernsey designs and the stories behind them are also a wonderful part of the weekend.

The Magpies home ground has also been prepared beautifully for the occasion thanks to our winderful band of volunteers who prepare the surface week in week out, all former players in Des Adams, Lindsay Jefferson, Rob Lawson, Bruce O’Neill, Greg Adams and Kevin Kluver.

It’s not just the senior games celebrating the round either, with the Magpie juniors hosting games on Saturday with some fantastic celebrations.

Former champion player and Best & Fairest winner Dean Parkin is also doing wonderful things for Sir Doug Nicholls Round, attending the Dreamtime at the G game with club legend Chris Mihalopoulous.

Parkin is heavily involved in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a first nations voice in the constitution. Dean is a Quandamookam man from Minjerribah (aka North Stradbroke Island) and represented the Magpies with distinction in the early 2000’s. An article on his efforts featured in the Australian Financial Review on Thursday.