Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says that the launch of the Club’s Reconciliation Action Plan on Tuesday is an important moment, not just for the football club, but for the western suburbs community as a whole.
Gordon was speaking at the document’s official launch at Victoria University Whitten Oval, where he recalled times past where racism regularly reared its head in the terraces, and sometimes even within the Club’s own ranks.
He said that on the day of the RAP’s launch, it was important that the past was acknowledged before the Club and the community could move forward together.
“Though we come from different tribes, different peoples, the way in which we relate to each other and to land has certain common heritages to it,” Gordon said.
“This reconciliation program moment for us is a really important moment in all of our histories, in the history of the Club, in the history of the suburb, in the history of the people.”
Gordon said that though launch of the document was a landmark moment, it’s the first step in a longer process, and importantly, is being driven by the Club’s staff.
“The Bulldogs are now taking this important first step, and we launch this program, and we launch this document today but it’s a dynamic process,” he said.
“And no one should be under any illusions that while there are documents, it’s actually driven by our people and driven by the common purpose of those people, to learn from the past, to acknowledge the communities we live in, to acknowledge our first peoples and to move forward.”
