Olivia Clark has been a key figure throughout a historic 12 months for Australian netball.

Within a year, the Kamilaroi goaler has taken part in Australia's national Indigenous representative side, the First Nations Black Swans, in their opening two campaigns in the international arena at the PacificAus Series.

Clark also hit the court in the Black Swans' first Australian Netball Championships campaign, for ACT at the inaugural First Nations Tournament and claimed the NSW Premier League title with her club side South West Mounties magic in 2024.

As always, her "biggest cheerleaders" were the important women in her life, she told National Indigenous Times ahead of Mother's Day.

Clark's mum, nan and grandmother have been there at every competition along the 23-year-old's journey - "every single one".

Like a lot of parents, mum was in the back-and-forth from training in the car, sometimes back-to-back amongst multiple sports, Clark said, sometimes splitting the trips with the community around her teammates helping each other out, at times across multiple sports.

Her nan and grandmother are also constant figures.

"She loves coming away, loves making new friends herself, getting to know all the other parents and everything," Clark said of her Grandma, Karen Clark, or 'Toots' as her family say.

Within a couple of phone calls the trips from Old Bar, near Taree on the New South Wales mid-north coast, to wherever she needs to be to watch her granddaughter play next is organised, Karen told National Indigenous Times.

She can hardly describe her pride, she said, not only about what her granddaughter has accomplished, but some of the ups and downs overcome along the way.

It's been a pretty special experience for Toots to see her mob represented through the Black Swans.

"Your heart just jumps out, doesn't it? The tears come. I just can't describe the feeling that you get to see not only Olivia, but all of the girls, and the way they play, the way they mesh all of that. It's just so awesome," Karen said, adding "She's so proud to be part of the Black Swans".

"That's just been the pinnacle for Olivia. Knowing that she could play with mob. When Olivia goes on the court, no matter what, we are proud of her.

"She just goes out and she just turns it on. She's just so focused on what she's doing when she's out there that we just watch in awe."

Karen's one of the line of netballers on both sides of the family.

She says things have changed from her time in the game to the opportunities there for her granddaughter.

"Being Aboriginal, no matter how good you were, you were sort of not there (in line for greater opportunities) when I was growing up," Karen said.

"But the opportunities like the Black Swan, that has just been awesome. The belief the girls have in themselves is just phenomenal. I just love watching all of them play, but mainly Olivia."

Outside of the game, Clark works with the Department of Communities and Justice.

She's also got another important job - being an older sister.

"I always cry when I talk about my sister. She is the most important person in my life. She's got a disability, so growing up it was hard at times, but she's always a character," Clark said.

"She's the strongest person I know, and is actually just watching everything she's gone through and made me a better person and stronger."

Clark said their relationship - big sister and little sister is "such a privilege".

"Honestly, I think it's shaped me a lot on who I am," she said.

From the passionate few in decades gone by to eyes of the world, and strides ahead domestically across women's sport - "women supporting women is such a big uplift," Clark said.

"In small communities, big communities, the whole sporting world - It's just knowing there's others that have your back. It's just so inspiring as well," she said.

That extends to shared personal stories and challenges athletes face, and "just knowing that there are other people that are supporting you, no matter what".

Off the back of February's Pacific Series, Clark says her time in the setup so far has been an "incredible experience" with friends made for life.

"We come from all over Australia, but when we get together, it's like an instant bond. No matter if you're new to the team, or been there since the beginning last year," she said.

"I just want to see it grow and just keep having those opportunities, even for the young ones coming through the pathways".