Club legend Andrew McLeod has presented the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott with an Indigenous Crows guernsey.
McLeod made the presentation to Mr Abbott at Parliament House as part of National Sorry Day on Wednesday. National Sorry Day is held on May 26 each year to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of Australia’s Indigenous population, especially the Stolen Generation. It was a very poignant moment for McLeod whose family were directly affected by the policies which resulted in the Stolen Generation.
"Today has significant meaning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To be able to meet the Prime Minister on National Sorry Day and present him with the jumper was pretty special," McLeod said.
It was a proud moment for McLeod too as he personally designed the jumper which will be worn by the Crows in their AFL Indigenous Round clash with the Gold Coast Suns at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. It’s the first time in nine years the Club has hosted a match during Indigenous Round.
"The Prime Minister was very interested in the meaning behind the jumper and I explained what the drawings represented and the story behind it," McLeod said.
"He asked if I was an artist which was a nice compliment."
McLeod meticulously created the design which tells his story of the Adelaide Crows. Click here for the full story behind the jumper which can be purchased for $130 with proceeds invested into the Club’s Indigenous programs.
McLeod in conjunction with wife Rachael helped to develop and now run the Clubs’ Indigenous programs which are based around identifying and nurturing Indigenous youth.
The three key programs use sport and mentoring to engage and educate Aboriginals youths, providing them with the experience, skills and knowledge required to seek independence, self-determination and the individual capacity to achieve their goals. The Beach Energy McLeod Challenge, Beach Energy Aboriginal Youth Leadership Program, and the Future Leaders Program are unique in that they focus on continued mentoring of participants from across South Australia.
Included in the Beach Energy Youth Leadership program is 15-year-old Andrew Saunders from Port Augusta, who is currently on a scholarship at Westminster School through the AFC’s Indigenous Scholarship program. Saunders will toss the coin on behalf of Beach Energy prior to the match on Sunday.
The Grand Finals of the Beach Energy McLeod Challenge will be played as a curtain raiser from 11:00am on Sunday. The schools involved in the grand finals are: Boys: Rostrevor/Immanuel v All Stars Salisbury/St Michaels/Henley/Thomas More and Girls: Wiltja Residential v All Stars Immanuel/Unity/Para Hills. The Beach Energy McLeod Challenge is a 9-a-side year 8/9 tournament for both boys and girls which identifies talent for the Beach Energy Youth Leadership program.
It’s a busy time for Andrew McLeod. One minute he’s in a suit at Parliament House shaking hands with the Prime Minister and the next he’ll be in his coaching gear, whistle in mouth, overseeing the Beach Energy McLeod Cup Grand Finals. But wherever he is and whatever he is doing – it's always with the best interest and future of Indigenous youth in mind.
