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battlingitoutforfootysupremacyevery
March onGrandFinalday,whichmore
than doublestheTiwis’population.
Visitorscomefortheuniquesporting
occasionandtoperusetraditionalpaintings,
prints, weavingandpukumani(exquisitely
carved andpaintedburialpoles)atthe
accompanyingTiwiIslands’ArtSale.
It’s a showcaseforanIndigenousculture
that’s perhapsfaredbetterthanthoseon
the mainland,withEuropeansettlement
abandonedin 1829 afterjustfiveyearsof
occupation,inpartduetofierceresistance
from theIndigenousislanders.
Suchisthepassionforthegamehere
that it hasproducedahostofnotablestars,
with threewinnersoftheNormSmith
Medal forbestongroundintheAFL
Grand Final;only 40 haveeverwonit!
Plus there’sbeenaTiwiIslanderinfiveof
the pastsixGrandFinalwinningteams–an
astoundingachievementforsuchatinyplace.
For suchahigh-scoringgameasAustralian
Rules –drawnmatchesaresomewhatrare,
the onlyonehavingoccurredontheTiwi
Grand Finaldayin1986,betweenthe
Imalu TigersandtheTapalingaHawks
(now theSuperstars).FootyfanJohn
Menzieswasinattendance.“Eachteamgrand final day
CLOCKWISEFROM
LEFT:Playerslineupfor
thesideMuluwurri;Teams
runontothepitchwitha
massofsupportersinthe
1986 GrandFinalday;
GrandFinaldayisthe
biggesteventontheTiwi
Islandscalendar;
Supporterswatchthe
dramaunfoldin 1986.PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN MENZIES (1986 SHOTS); TOURISM NT (CONTEMPORARY TEAM SHOTS). THANKS TO LES EVERETT (AUSTRALIANRULES.COM.AU)YOU MIGHT THINK that the likes of
Hawthorn or anywhere in Adelaide might
have the highest concentration of Aussie
Rules obsessives, but on a per capita basis
you’d have to head to the other extreme of
Australia, in the far north, to find the real
beating heart of the game. In fact a couple
of islands off the Darwin coast have the
most footy players per head; around 900
people out of a predominantly Indigenous
population of 2500 on the Tiwi Islands of
Melville and Bathurst take part in the sport.
And people across the islands have been
running with the Aussie Rules ball (and
bouncing every 15 metres) ever since it was
introduced by two missionaries here in1941. And since 1969 the islands have been
The TIWI ISLANDS’ passion for AUSSIERULES,andits
unique mix of sporting and TRADITIONALculture,makes
it a MUST FOR TRAVELLERS everyMarch.
ranontotheground,notthrougha
bannerbutaccompaniedbyaswarmof
supporters,”recallsMenzies.“Itwasall
veryinformalandsomehowoutofthe
generalchaosorderwasrestoredand
thegamecommenced.
“Someoftheplayersworenoboots
butthiswasnodisadvantageitseemed.
Iwasinaweoftheleapingabilityand
speedtheplayersdisplayedwithboth
teamsalmostscoringatwill.Thiswasthe
firsttimethataGrandFinalhadresulted
inadrawandtheplayersandsupporters
weredevastatedandobviouslydisappointed,
notknowingwhattodo,”remembers
Menzies.“Ithoughtperhapsextratime
wouldbeplayedhowever,becausethiswas
afirst,probablynopolicyhadbeenputin
place.Subsequentlyareplaywasheldthat
Ididnotseeunfortunately,andinthat
Tapalingawon.”
Sofootyfanornot,headtotheTiwis
onitsfamousGrandFinaldaytoembrace
itsancienttraditionsandmorerecent
sportingadditiontothefabricoflifeon
theseisolatedislandsinourfarnorth.SHORTCUTS | Rewind