Hawthorn has taken another step in its reconciliation journey today, announcing a new partnership with Indigenous owned and operated wukalina walk.
The wukalina walk is a three-night, four-day guided walk across the rugged natural beauty of the wukalina and larapuna areas, the spiritual heartland of the palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) peoples. The walk is a genuine cultural experience designed to deepen visitors understanding of palawa culture and community history.
As part of the targets set out in its Reconciliation Action Plan, Hawthorn has worked collaboratively with the wukalina walk to build a partnership that delivers strong outcomes for both Hawthorn and the wukalina walk.
The multifaceted partnership will see Hawthorn and the walk work together to deepen the club’s cultural awareness training program, the development of a mentoring model whereby the club invests in building the capacity of the walk across its commercial and administrative practices while also working together to drive awareness of the walk and amplification of its message through the Hawthorn network.
Hawthorn and wukalina have had an informal partnership in place since early 2020. Hawthorn players along with CEO Justin Reeves spent time in the north-east of Tasmania with the team of the wukalina walk in February 2020 to experience a day of the walk firsthand.
Hawks players and staff were hosted by palawa guides who shared the history and culture of the palawa people through palawa creation stories, a traditional smoking ceremony and by sharing Indigenous local food including saltbush straight off the bush as well as fire-cooked scallops, wallaby salami, king fish, damper, oysters and crayfish.
Hawthorn Football Club has conducted business in Tasmania, on the traditional lands of the palawa peoples, since 2001. A partnership between wukalina walk and Hawthorn provides an opportunity for the club to meaningfully give back to the palawa people who own and operate the wukalina walk.
Hawthorn Acting CEO Ashley Klein said the partnership is an exciting step forward for the club’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
“We’re really proud of our connection to Tasmania and we are lucky to spend a lot of time in the region,” said Klein.
“It is important to the club that we are authentically connected across all communities in Tasmania and Indigenous culture is a really important part of Tasmania’s past, present and future.
“We’re excited to see what the future of a partnership with the wukalina walk holds. The walk offers an incredible opportunity to see largely untouched parts of Tasmania, to learn the history of the palawa people and experience magnificent food and hospitality along the way.
“We look forward to having more of our players, coaches and staff participate in the walk to build their understanding of and connection to the Indigenous history and culture of Tasmania.”
