Michael LongPrint Page

The statue commemorates Michael Long, an Australian Rules footballer who played for the Essendon Club, and a supporter of the rights of Indigenous people of Australia.  He played 190 games for Essendon between 1989 and 2001, including the Bombers' 1993 and 2000 premierships. He won the Norm Smith Medal as the best player in Essendon's 1993 triumph over Carlton.

It was commissioned by the Essendon Club and the club director Dave Barham and his family, and comprises elements of Long's on and off-field contribution to the game.  Long is holding a walking stick and wearing the Bombers' red sash, and his playing No.13 is on his back.

The stick represents his walk to Canberra, when Long embarked on an historical trek in 2004 from Melbourne to Parliament House in Canberra to highlight issues pertinent to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  Long was involved in one of the most pivotal moments in VFL/AFL history with regards to race relations when he was vilified by Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst in the 1995 ANZAC Day game.  Long, took a stand against this, prompting the league to introduce a racial and religious vilification code.

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