Melbourne Storm faced backlash after reports emerged that the club intended to scrap the “Welcome to Country” ceremony scheduled for their game on Friday night at AAMI Park. This decision received significant national attention. Aunty Joy Murphy, who has been conducting these ceremonies at Storm matches for over two decades, was a huge factor in that.
At first, Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to open the ceremony with a smoking ceremony welcome to country, an acknowledgement of Aboriginal culture. Right before the event, she was told that she was no longer needed. The sudden cancellation left her disappointed and heartbroken. Indigenous dance group members were sorely disappointed too, after flying to Victoria with plans to showcase their cultural practices.
Melbourne Storm’s only comment to the reports was to release a short market. They expressed their sorrow to Aunty Joy Murphy and the dance troupes connected with her, Ngā Mātai Pūrua, and Djirri Djirri. The club’s response was to own their misstep and pledge to do these culturally relevant acknowledgments on an ongoing basis.
Aunty Joy Murphy expressed her disappointment, stating, “We would dearly love to be out there, but they’ve broken our hearts.” She emphasized the need to rebuild trust, remarking, “We want to make them realize that this was wrong, hurtful, deceitful, and tokenistic.”
On the day of the event, members of Ngā Mātai Pūrua and Djirri Djirri met on the ground at AAMI Park to practice their formations and performances. As they began to prepare, they learned about the club’s original decision. Lead dancer Ky-ya Nicholson Ward voiced her frustration, saying, “After being disrespected, we couldn’t then go forward with a smile on our face and act.” As a result, both dance companies decided not to move ahead with their proposed shows.
The incident ignited national conversations about the need to respect Indigenous culture. This came hot on the heels of a shocking scene at the Shrine of Remembrance, where dawn service goers were booed and heckled as they listened to a traditional Aboriginal “Welcome to Country” acknowledgement.
