Hope vs Despair in the One Game that Really Matters

I wasn’t on the streets of Rome in 1982 or 2006 when Italy won the World Cup in football but I suspect it was a little bit like what I experienced on Saturday night in Wurrumiyanga on the Tiwi Islands.  When Hawthorn made their way into this year’s  AFL grand final the tiny top end community in the Northern Territory exploded.  Car horns sounded throughout the night air as cars adorned with Hawthorn flags made triumphant circuits of the streets.   Fans shouted themselves hoarse with “Up the Mighty Hawks”.  A serene elderly lady who had led some Darling Downs students on a cultural outing earlier in the afternoon became a fervent and passionate part of the brown and gold army.  The fact that one of their own, Cyril (Junior Boy) Rioli is a key part of the Hawks outfit plays no small part in the fervour.

 

When Bishop Gsell established a mission on Bathurst Island just over a hundred years ago the Catholic faith took root amongst the Tiwi.  But when the late Brother Pye left Downlands College for the Tiwi Islands in 1941 he brought another faith with him – the love of Australian Rules football.  And even if you are an innocent bystander it is hard not to get swept up in the passion of it all.  Everybody has a team and with that team is a story.  I’m on the islands at the minute as part of an immersion trip with students from Roma and Toowoomba.

 

The boys are staying with local elder, Bernard Tipiloura.  Bernard is a Collingwood fan and is living with a little despair at the moment – with his team bundled out last Friday night.  The girls are staying with Sr Anne Gardiner a legendary woman who has spent over 50 years on the islands.  Her team is the Sydney Swans and right now she is living in hope.

 

And hope and despair pretty much sum up our visit to four remote Aboriginal communities.  There is the hope of young men starting mechanical apprenticeships.  There is the visible signs of new homes being constructed to address the chronic issue of inadequate and unsuitable housing.  There is the success of the Tiwi Islands own football team in the Northern Territory League – the Tiwi Bombers.  There is the inspiring educational project of Tiwi College with offshoots such as the Matthew Hayden Way promoting horticulture and hospitality amongst up and coming Tiwi.

 

Then there is the despair of young girls walking aimlessly around town with strollers containing their babies.  There are the lives of young men lost to suicide and substance abuse.  There is the break-down of respect for elders and the traditions which have largely stood the test of time.   There is the lack of dignity felt by many by the heavy handed approach of the Stronger Futures legislation.   I’ve been returning to the islands for five years now and each time seems like a quarter from a football game.  Sometimes despair seems to have the upper hand with hope struggling to get their hands on the ball.  Other times hope just keeps diving full body length at the ball – refusing to give in – believing that the training and the game plan will eventually all come together.

 

This weekend I think the Hawks might sneak home with a bit of Tiwi Island magic.  But in the bigger game of life – I’m still cheering for the mighty team called hope.