First Nations

Acknowledgement of Country

An Acknowledgment of Country should be incorporated into major club events and functions. There are no set protocols or wording for an Acknowledgement of Country, though often a statement may take the following forms.

General: I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present.

Specific – when you are 100% sure of your local Traditional Owners: I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, the (people) of the (nation) and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

Jackaroos Star

Kylie Whitehead is an Australian Emerging Jackaroo and former world champion of indigenous descent.

Whitehead is of English and Walpiri background, and was raised in Chiltern in north-east Victoria by her father’s parents.

Whitehead began her bowls pursuit in 2010 at Wodonga Bowls Club, alongside her grandfather.

One of Whitehead’s career highlights came at the 2019 World Singles Champion of Champions in Adelaide, where she defeated New Zealand’s Debbie White to secure the world title, having claimed the national title a year earlier at Kingborough, Tasmania.

Whitehead had also previously clinched the Australian Championships singles title in 2017 at Club Sapphire in Merimbula, and has competed in over 100 state matches for Victoria.

Her international debut occurred in 2022 during the UK Tour in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, and she was selected as the ‘sixth’ women’s player for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, acting as an emergency player and also assisting as the team’s physiotherapist.

By trade, Whitehead is a qualified and practicing physiotherapist, having studied physiotherapy at Charles Sturt University.

Demonstrating inclusive and respectful language

Using respectful and inclusive language and terminology is an essential component of reconciliation. The ways we speak about reconciliation is just as important as the ways we act: language is itself active, and can impact on attitudes, understandings and relationships in a very real and active sense. While they are guidelines only, below are some recommendations for using respectful and inclusive language and terminology throughout your RAP and other communications.