Nicky WinmarPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates indigenous Australian Rules footballer, Neil Elvis "Nicky" Winmar. The statue recognises the significant contribution of Aboriginal Australians to Aussie Rules.

The statue immortalises the moment Winmar lifted his St Kilda jumper, pointed at his torso and declared ‘I’m black and I’m proud’ during a match against Collingwood in 1993. The moment led to the introduction of the AFL anti-vilification rule; and how it has endured as a symbol of Aboriginal pride, and equality in Australian sport.

Nicky Winmar is an Aboriginal Noongar man who grew up on the Pingelly Reserve, 154 kilometres east of Perth, and came to Perth in 1983 as a 17-year-old to play for South Fremantle before being recruited by the St Kilda Club in Melbourne in 1987.

 In a twelve-season career with St Kilda, Winmar won the club's best and fairest award, the Trevor Barker Award, in 1989 and 1995 and was also twice named in the All-Australian team.  He left St Kilda at the end of the 1998 season and was drafted by the Western Bulldogs, playing one further season in the AFL before retiring at the end of the 1999 season.

Having represented Western Australia in eight interstate matches, Winmar was named in St Kilda's Team of the Century in 2003 and was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2009.  He was the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 games in the AFL and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century in 2005.

He was involved in several incidents of racial vilification during his career and a photograph of Winmar responding to one such incident during the 1993 season has been described as one of the most memorable images in Australian sporting history.  The photograph taken by Wayne Lubley was the basis for the design of the sculpture.

A bronze statue depicting indigenous footballer Nicky Winmar's stand against racist abuse from spectators will be unveiled at Optus Stadium before the Western Derby. Reacting to a torrent of racist abuse from Collingwood fans, Winmar raised his St Kilda guernsey and pointed to his chest after a big win over the Magpies at their Victoria Park home.

"I hope this statue encourages more conversations and education about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture," Winmar said in a statement."It's a surreal thing to be a part of and it's something my family are very proud of."

Western Australian-born Noongar man, Winmar wanted to ensure the statue found its permanent home on Noongar land and it will be installed at Optus Stadium and unveiled on July 6.

Created by renowned Melbourne sculptor Louis Laumen in conjunction with the AFL, the statue was crowdfunded and will be delivered to WA from Victoria in the coming weeks. The installation will complement the stadium precinct's existing acknowledgement of WA's Aboriginal heritage and the Matagarup Bridge, which already features an audio art installation to share cultural stories and is a permanent tribute to traditional owners.

AFL general manager of inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch said Winmar's stance was a defining moment. "Nicky Winmar is a champion of our game, and through the power of football became a powerful advocate for his people and started a national conversation," she said. "The statue of Nicky Winmar depicts one of the most iconic moments and images our game has seen. It was a defining moment for calling out racism in our country and we look forward to unveiling the statue at Optus Stadium in July."

WA's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt described Winmar as a trailblazing footballer. "But this defining action also propelled him into the arena of social justice," he said. "Nicky's actions that day have inspired countless other young people both in sport and in life to stand up and be proud of yourself and your heritage."
AAP, 9 June 2019.
 

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