Balmain Club celebrates 50 years and acknowledges their local indigenous culture

29 November 2021

Balmain Club celebrates 50 years and acknowledges their local indigenous culture

In a respectful gesture to recognise the club’s history and their local heritage, the Balmain Athletics Club, which is incorporated with Balmain Little Athletics Centre, has this season launched a competition singlet that celebrates 50 years for the Little Athletics Centre and acknowledges the local indigenous culture and land.

The Club commissioned local indigenous artist Blak Douglas to create the singlet design. Blak Douglas described the significance of the colours and drawings on the singlet titled: ‘Harbouring Cultures’

“Sourcing the rock carvings gallery at Callan Park (Wangal Country) I’ve created these designs to pay homage to both the Wangal and the artists responsible for the imagery upon the foreshore. The inherent colours of the Balmain Tigers are an apt fitting for such an aesthetic. Orange, white & black exist naturally within the Pirrima (Sandstone). The distorted concentric circle patterns represent the grain pattern found in the rock. The existing shark motif acts as a stark contrast to the Tall Ship also present. The fish motifs are in acknowledgement to the neighbour cousins of the Wangal and a connected dreaming.”

Club President David Murphy said "Blak Douglas's design wonderfully recognises our near and distant past and gives a great sense of location as the carvings are found on the rock outcrop adjacent to our track. We now start the next 50 years with a new uniform, logo and identity for all Balmain athletes"

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Images: Balmain athletes