He fought against racism on the football field, now AFL legend Adam Goodes is focused on celebrating and sharing Indigenous culture.
“I spent a long part of my career challenging racism, challenging people's opinions of Australia Day, and having those conversations,” the Adnyamathanha and Narungga man told NITV’s The Point.
“The work that I'm now part of is actually about, celebrating our culture, creating stories and conversations through books.”
This week, the dual Brownlow medallist and 2014 Australian of the Year is releasing his latest children’s book, titled “Ceremony”.
“I think the reason we started writing the books was because we wanted to be able to create some resources for parents and their children to read about Aboriginal people and culture,” Goodes said.
“The most important reason why we're doing it, it's for our children … if we can create an environment where people are a lot more reflective, more empathetic, and more knowledgeable about Aboriginal people and culture because of books that we've created, then that is a positive thing.”
Adam Goodes says he is proud to introduce readers to an Indigenous language. Source: NITV The Point
A special moment
“Ceremony” is the second in a series of children’s books Goodes is writing in collaboration with co-author, former journalist Ellie Laing, and Barkindji illustrator David Hardy.
“This book Ceremony is all about this special ceremony that will happen in the change of seasons,” Goodes said.
The book includes Adnyamathanha words and Goodes said he was particularly proud to introduce readers to an Indigenous language.
“To be able to put those into sentences, into books that [people are] going to read to their children every night, it's a very special, special moment for me,” he said.
Goodes, who is a father of two, said he could not wait to read the new book to his own kids.
“I’ve already seen how proud my daughter is seeing her own picture in our first books,” he said.
“It's really a special thing to have a book that we've created that we can show our children.”
Adam Goodes has transitioned from playing sport to writing books celebrating his culture. Source: AAP Image/Dean Lewins
'Really emotional'
Co-author Ellie Laing said the collaboration with Goodes began after her young son who attended daycare, recited an unprompted acknowledgement of Country while at home.
“I was really emotional actually,” Laing said.
“The primary emotion was, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm so hopeful, actually, for the future of this country because this is a little boy saying words that he probably doesn't understand — he's only three — but he's saying it’.”
Laing, who at the time already knew Goodes, said the pair were both keen to develop more resources to help children learn about First Nations people and culture.
“Ceremony” follows their first book, “Somebody’s Land: Welcome to Our Country,” which has sold more than 55,000 copies.
Goodes said the team was particularly keen to help teachers use the book to share and celebrate Indigenous culture.
“The biggest ambition and goal for us is how it's going to be implemented into the schools and to have not only the books that we'll be selling, but to have a teacher's resource sitting behind it,” he said.
