An Arnhem Land football team will be playing this season without three of its leaders, who died in a series of sudden tragedies. Their deaths have left the team and Yirrkala community shattered.
The Djarrak Football Club in north-east Arnhem Land will be missing three team membersThe head of an Arnhem Land health clinic says barriers including poverty, overcrowding and limited job opportunities are
This evening, they're playing a scratch match with a team from Clontarf, an organisation that uses sport to incentivise kids to engage in school.Spectators flock to Yirrkala’s oval at sunset to watch Djarrak play a scratch match with local teenagers elders, kids and teens spectatingRun by elders of the Rirratjiŋu clan, Djarrak is one of four Aussie Rules clubs on the Gove Peninsula, where kids grow up on the sidelines of the footy field.
Mr Marika's early death was the first in a series of tragedies to hit the close-knit Djarrak team – and his own family – last year.And in November, a 25-year-old "young gun", who took the final kick in last year's grand final, was killed in an alleged hit-and-run while cycling home.Elders have long used the beloved sport to keep young men on a healthy path and steer them away from distractions such as drugs and alcohol.
It found on average Yolŋu people lost the most years of life to coronary heart disease, followed by suicide. Steve Rossingh is the chief executive of Miwatj Health, an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation in north-east Arnhem Land. They also want to rebuild partnerships with Northern Territory Football League clubs, to give their players more pathways to excel.They envision that with upgrades, NTFL teams, and touring musicians, could play at the Yirrkala oval, drawing visitors from across the territory to north-east Arnhem Land and providing more jobs for locals."The Djarrak team will fly again," he says.
AFL Witiyana Marika Mandaka Marika Arnhem Land Mental Health Football Australian Football League Aussie Rules Djarrak Yirrkala Nhulunbuy Gove Peninsula Gove
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