SWJFL: Warren Blackwood Bombers hold annual NAIDOC matches and show off special jerseys

Manjimup high school student Shirley Pickett designed the jumpers worn by the Warren Blackwood Bomber football teams on Saturday when they hosted their annual NAIDOC week round at the Manjimup Recreational Ground. The first match of the day Year 8 and 9 Girls Bombers team and Carey Park Year 8 and 9 Girls, with the Bombers taking the win with a final score of 14.13 (91) to 5.1 (31). Local elder Wayne Herdigan did the Welcome to Country speech before the second match commenced. The second and final match of the day was between the Year 10 to 12 Warren Blackwood Bombers and the Year 10 to 12 Dunsborough Sharks, with the Bombers winning 8.2 (50) to 4.2 (26) After the matches, presentations were made in the Imperials Football Club clubhouse. Those attending included SWJFL Indigenous officer, Donnybrook teams and West Coast Eagles South West Academy coach Max Jetta, Manjimup shire councillors Denisse Jenkins and Donelle Buegge, SWJFL president Justin Harris, and sponsor Talison Lithium senior community relations advisor Debbie Walsh and community relations officer Kathleen Holdsworth. At the presentations, high school student Ms Pickett was honoured with with a jumper of her design along with the Talison Lithium representatives who were given a framed version intended for display in the company’s office. The special jumper featured symbols that represented the South West region, including a symbol of a waterhole, to represent the many in the region, footprints of the Koolbardi magpie, an emblem of the Bombers, with the Koolbardi singing in the morning to remind people of their role in creation and a symbol of a path, representing the Bibbulmun Track and the journey the players have to take to play football. “Most of the symbols represent the lower South West in a different way and I wanted to represent the South West well,” designer Ms Pickett said. Ms Pickett, 18, said getting the opportunity to design the jumpers for the team was an exciting experience and was something she was happy to follow through with. “Treena Connor reached out to a group of us and I took the offer up and followed through and decided to design the jumper,” she said. “I was very happy and excited when I realised the jumpers were going to be worn.” Talison Lithium general operations manager, Craig Dawson said Talison was pleased and proud to sponsor the Bombers’ jumper. “It is the first time Talison has sponsored the women’s football league and we are very pleased to have been involved in sponsoring the locally based Bombers’ team,” he said. “Talison would like to congratulate the team on their win at the weekend event and Shirley Pickett on her unique and meaningful design for the jersey.”