Each year the Balmain Australian Football Club celebrates the First Nations Warrior, Pemulwuy. As a Bidjigal Man of the Eora Nation it's likely that Pemulwuy and his family thrived in the area around the Inner West of Sydney prior to colonisation, and later led the same family in battle to protect their Country from the invasion of the British Government. Celebrating this man is important as white people so we can learn and understand more about life on Country prior to colonisation and the robust defence mounted by First Nations People that was eventually rendered insufficient in the face of British disease and brutality. Balmain is immensely proud to honour a truthful representation of this history, understanding that an honest past enlightens a hopeful future.

The game of Australian Rules Football owes its formation to Marn Grook. First Nations oral history tells us competitions were held amongst neighbouring tribes for thousands of years. It is anathema to Balmain to hold its place in the community without offering great respect to these two founding institutions.

In 2023 our community and the nation as a whole, will be afforded the opportunity to vote YES to the referendum that will enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the constitution. During the Pemulwuy shield game of 2018, we proudly hosted Thomas Mayo, Teela Reid and the Uluru Statement From The Heart in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of honouring the three pillars of this generous gift: Voice, Treaty, Truth. Balmain was one of the first community groups to loudly promote the Statement and follow one of the most important aspects: walk with First Nations People in a movement of the Australian People for a better future. Now that the Referendum is upon us, it is crucial that community groups maintain the momentum and campaign loudly for a positive outcome. As a predominantly white society, following in the footsteps of these mighty First Nations Leaders, both past, Doug Nicholls, Trugganini, Pemulwuy, Charlie Perkins, Archie Roach, Dr Yunupingu, Oodgeroo Noonucal and present, Megan Davis, Teela Reid, Pat Anderson, Thomas Mayo, Dean Parkin, Rachel Perkins, Emma Donovan presents us with the most significant opportunity to unite the nation and drive better outcomes for First Nations People, the oldest continuous culture on Earth.