Tiwi Islands Football Grand Final

Years ago when living in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory I played football for the Parap Wanderers Aussie Rules Football Team.

A highlight of my year in Darwin(1970/71) was travelling to Bathurst Island to play a game of footy against the local Islanders.

There is a flourishing football competition on the Tiwi Islands(Bathurst Island and Melville Island) as was also back then.

Our team which played, and still does in the NTFL, was the first mainland team except for the St Marys team to go and play in the annual picnic match on the island.(The Wanderers won this year's premiership against St Marys)

We flew over in a couple of light planes and the day was a great time for us all.

We got beaten soundly by a very young Tiwi group of players, mostly playing bare feet.

I was the acting captain of our team that day and I well remember the "toss" in the middle of the oval which had very little grass.
The opposing captain took up a flat stone from the ground, spat on one side of it and we had to call wet or dry.

By 3 quarter time we were getting thrashed so we decided to swap our entire backline with the forward line and then we managed to win that quarter.

Below are some pics I took that day on my Dad's Kodak Retina 35mm camera using Kodachrome transparency film with an ASA(ISO) of 25.

Hence some of the shots are underexposed and also out of focus.

No rangefinder focusing, no light meter and I was a complete novice,

Below also is a link to an ABC article on the just completed Tiwi Islands football grand final.

part of he welcoming committee when we arrived

Joes Smith presenting a best player for the Tiwi team,Albertus?

The grand stand,Jill smith sitting in there with blue dress

The Wanderers team that ay where unfortunately whoever I handed the camera to did not have much idea

Guys playing cards o the Island

Group of wanderers at lunch.

Brother Howlie presnting Wanderers trophy to Geoff Boylan (I think)

L to R. Peter Thompson,Kevin Minter,Owen Anderson and Geoff Burke

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/03/17/3964509.htm