Culture, wellbeing forefront of mind at Sydney’s Redfern All Blacks

Callan Morse Published December 13, 2023 at 4.30pm (AWST)

sport

Redfern's under-15 girls at the 2023 Koori Knockout. (Image: Redfern All Blacks RLFC Facebook)

The country's oldest Indigenous Australian Rugby League Club is supporting its young Aboriginal players after establishing a new health and wellbeing program.

Made possible through a City of Sydney grant, Redfern All Blacks Rugby League Football Club is providing cultural support and guidance to young Aboriginal players after establishing the initiative.

Redfern All Blacks Rugby League Football Club chairperson Treena Cutmore said the Club is grateful for the assistance in supporting its young players.

"This will enable us to host our Health and Wellbeing Program to enrich the lives of our players and contribute significantly to the overall growth and development of our club," Ms Cutmore said.

The initiative has been supported by the City of Sydney's grants and sponsorship program, with more than $100,000 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collaboration Fund shared between three grant recipients.

Ms Cutmore said the Fund has been "instrumental" in helping the club move forward and facilitate positive changes within the Redfern community.

"We sincerely appreciate the City's belief in our vision and the impact it can have on the lives of our players," she said.

Redfern RLFC was one of 94 recently announced recipients of the initiative, with almost $7 million in grants and subsidies awarded to support environmental and climate action initiatives, cultural programs, major events, local festivals as well as First Nations programs.

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, said the grants provided organisations, such as Redfern with the means to support their local community.

"These grants will help look after our most vulnerable, create exciting cultural experiences and increase the reach of community organisations in our area," Ms Moore said.

"By supporting local groups, we will strengthen Sydney's cultural landscape, boost economic vitality and enhance the quality of life for our residents."

The initiative also saw Sydney's Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries receive a seven month accommodation grant to offer community and justice support, counselling, youth programs and special projects, a portion of the innovation and ideas grant program dedicated to a training program to upskill Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing facilitators and portion of the $2 million awarded in cultural grants dedicated to supporting five events celebrating NAIDOC Week.