It's not everyday day cricket and the catwalk are mentioned – let alone discussed – in the same sentence. That was until now of course.

Whilst making news headlines for his performance on the catwalk was not something Indigenous cricket player and proud Wonnarua man from the New South Wales Hunter Valley region, Rex Strickland predicted, it did happen this month.

Despite being the nephew of celebrated First Nations fashion designer Amanda Healy, Strickland has not stepped foot on the runway until his debut earlier this month in London at the First Nations Fashion Show and Aboriginal Art Exhibition – apart of the Kirrikin Foundation's Travelling Runways program.

For 25-year-old Strickland, the 2023 move to London was not so much of a fashion trip but rather a career relocation he had taken to broaden his opportunities and reunite with fellow teammates.

"I've been playing cricket since the age of about 10. I moved to the UK (Birmingham) as it's a common tradition for Australians to do a season in the UK and vice versa", Strickland said.

"Several of my friends back home were playing this summer in the UK so I thought it was the right time to go over and use this opportunity to travel together.

"I was playing for a club called Droitwich Spa, which is in the Worcestershire premier league."

Prior to moving to the UK, Strickland, like most athletes, had his toe in multiple projects and career opportunities.

"I was working as a project engineer, (recently having rolled off the graduate program) at BHP while playing cricket for South Perth Cricket Club", he said.

"Myself and three other teammates from South Perth moved over to the UK for the summer to play club cricket semi-professionally scattered around the country."

When it came to how the talented cricket player ended up on his Auntie's catwalk, Strickland explained it had been in discussion and planning for quite some time.

"Amanda had discussed with me around June/July when we caught up in England about the fashion show coming up toward the end of September," he said.

"I was originally due to come home on the 21st of September but decided to extend my stay to join the travelling runways team as a model…well at least try."

Whilst Strickland had previously engaged in a series of photoshoots – for both Kirrikin and cricket – strutting his stuff on the runway was unfamiliar territory, to say the least.

"I had previously done some photoshoots for Amanda and Kirrikin as well as a cricket brand I am sponsored by called Kingsbury", Strickland told Style Up.

"Apart from this, I have had no modelling experience and was my first time on a runway".

Whilst he may have felt like a fish out of water on the runway, the Perth-based sportsman said he grew more comfortable as the Travelling Runways event continued on to multiple countries including Vienna and The Hague.

"It was a very daunting but exciting experience at the time I was extremely nervous but found myself a lot more relaxed the second time around in The Hague", he said.

Referring to Healy is almost like a second mother, Strickland has a close-knit relationship with his Auntie, whom he dedicates time to supporting no matter what country he may be residing in.

"Amanda has always been like a second mother to me, she is the most generous person I have ever met. Her son Max (my cousin) and I have always been very close too, he is like my brother," he said.

"Our families have always lived streets away from each other and essentially been one big family since I can remember.

"It was an honour to support and represent her brand Kirrikin which she's very passionate about. It's great to see all the hard work she puts in shown on the big stage in London".

Turning the conversation back to his passion on the field, Strickland states that whilst WACA does a fantastic job at promoting Indigenous cricket, there is space for greater growth in supporting and encouraging First Nation players to get involved in grassroots cricket, earlier in life.

"I think the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association) does a fantastic job promoting Indigenous cricket with its NICC (National Indigenous Cricket Carnival) program, which is a state program of Indigenous crickets who participate in a national competition once a year", he said.

"Although having previously captained this side there was often some difficulty getting good participation in these programs due to a lack of Aboriginal cricketers.

"There is potentially some room for further growth in grassroots cricket for Aboriginals to get them involved in the game earlier in life to increase cricket participation."

When raising the topic of future plans and a possible career in modelling, Strickland is quick to confirm that although this is not a career path he is actively pursuing, it's not one that's completely off the table.

"I will now return to Australia to BHP to continue my work as a project engineer in early October and will be back playing cricket for South Perth," Strickland shared with Style Up.

"Regarding modelling, I would definitely jump on the opportunity if it strikes again but will not be actively pursuing a career in modelling.

"Not sure I've got the looks."

Whilst he may have left the catwalk to return to the cricket pitch, we can only hope that this is not the last time the talented Aussie switches the field for fashion.

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