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THE
ATSIC EXPERIENCE - Saturday 17th August 2002
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Clitheroe's first
match of the new season was sponsored by
Blues supporter Bruce Dowles on behalf of
ATSIC - the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Commission (out of Canberra,
Australia). |
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Fans entered the
ground to to the sound of indigenous
Australian music playing over the PA
system and posters sent from Canberra
were festooned in the Clubhouse and
Sponsor's Lounge. There was even an
appearance from an inflatable kangaroo! |
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The match day programme contained the
following article, prepared by Bruce :
"Australia, like many countries in the New
World, is intensely pround of what it has
achieved in the past 200 years. It has a vibrant
and resourceful people. It shares a freedom born
in the abundance of nature, the richness of the
earth, the bounty of the sea. It is the world's
biggest island. It has the world's longest
coastline. It has more animal species than any
other country. Two-thirds of the world's bird
species are native to Australia. It is one of the
few countries on earth with it's own sky. It is a
fabric of many colours and it is this that gives
it it's strength. However, these achievements
have come at a great cost.
Australians as we know them have been there for
200 years, but before that there was a people
living there. For over 40,000 years they have
lived in perfect balance with the land. There
were many Aboriginal nations, just as there were
many Indian nations in North America and across
Canada, as there were many Maori tribes in New
Zealand, and Incan and Mayan peoples in South
America. These indigenous Australians lived in
areas as different from one another as Scotland
is from Ethiopia. They lived in an area the size
of Western Europe. They didn't even share a
common language. Yet they had their own laws,
their own beliefs, their own ways of
understanding.
This world was destroyed. The forbears of modern
Australians often didn't mean to do it, fighting
to establish themselves in what they saw as a
harsh environment, they were creating a national
economy.
But the Aboriginal world was decimated. A pattern
of disease and dispossession was established.
Alcohol was introduced. Social and racial
differences were allowed to become fault-lines.
Aboriginal families were broken up. And sadly
Aboriginal health and education are
responsibilities still to be addressed
successfully.
The Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander
Commission (ATSIC) is the principal
democratically elected indigenous organisation.
It was set up in 1990 to include indigenous
people in the process of government affecting
their lives. ATSIC's vision is of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people and communities
freely exercising their legal, economic, social,
cultural and political rights.
ATSIC and myself are honoured to sponsor this
match, in fact it is entirely fitting as
Aboriginals are breaking into Australian Rules
football, rugby's two disciplines and knocking on
the door of soccer too!" |
This unique match sponsorship has certainly put
Clitheroe FC in the limelight and raised
awareness of ATSIC. It was covered by the local
press thanks to The Lancashire Evening Telegraph's
Theresa Robson. She put together a truthful,
hardhitting piece and an article also gained the
front page of the Clitheroe Advertiser &
Times.
Following the match, the story was
picked up by the Sun and a hastily arranged photo-shoot
was held at the ground on Monday lunchtime, with
the story appearing on page 23 of Tuesday's
edition. Then articles appeared in the Manchester
edition of the Metro...and was also spotted in
the London edition by our local MP Nigel Evans.
The story had broken nationwide!
Interviews then followed on BBC
Radio Leeds, Talksport, Radio Lancashire
culminating with a Radio Five Live chat with
Adrian Childs the following Saturday lunchtime.
Meanwhile, Associated Australian Press do an in-depth
phone interview that would go to every newspaper
in Australia!
The whole thing was such a success that ATSIC are
considering direct sponsorship next season and
are looking at obtaining grant monies to send
over a dance team. Next season's first home match
could be something very spectacular!
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Saturday
17th August 2002
Match sponsored by ATSIC in conjunction with
Bruce Dowles
Clitheroe 1 - 1 Prescot Cables
The Clitheroe Man-of-the-Match
Simon Garner is pictured with Bruce and the
inflatable kangaroo in the Clubhouse after the
game. |
Bruce was also involved at the
2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester as a driver
for the Australian competitors. Below are some
photos he took of the Australian boxers wearing
the Clitheroe FC scarf.
For more
information on ATSIC and Indigenous Australia
visit their website at www.atsic.gov.au
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