A strong East Gippsland connection was highlighted during the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round on the weekend, with Bairnsdale artist, lifelong Carlton supporter and BRHS Koori Health Liaison Officer Adrian “Ringo” Morgan presenting a hand-carved emu egg and boomerang to the Carlton Football Club on Thursday.
Morgan works within the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Aboriginal Health Unit, where Koori Health Liaison Officers provide social, emotional and cultural support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and families accessing hospital services.
For Morgan, the presentation brought together culture, community, football and a long-standing family connection to Aboriginal health. His mother, Auntie Helen Morgan, was BRHS’ first Aboriginal Liaison Officer, establishing the service in 1982. Morgan now continues that legacy through his work in the Aboriginal Health Unit.
The cultural gifts were presented as part of Carlton’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round recognition, which celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, cultures and communities, and their contribution to Australian football.
The moment also reflected Carlton’s historic links with the Lake Tyers Aboriginal community.
In 1913, Carlton played the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Station football team at Cunninghame — now Lakes Entrance — in what the club has described as possibly the first Australian Rules match involving a League team and an Indigenous side. The Lake Tyers players reportedly travelled nearly 10 miles on foot from the station to take part in the match before returning home the same day.
Morgan’s hand-carved emu egg and boomerang continue the tradition of cultural exchange during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, recognising the enduring relationship between Carlton, East Gippsland and the local Koori community.
