The 11th installment of the Unity Cup was a resounding success.
Rumbalara Football Netball Club’s Kylie Briggs said the event was one of the biggest the club has hosted in recent years. A joint initiative of Rumba and the Congupna Football and Netball Club, Unity Cup was founded to bring the communities together and to put the contributions of women on the radar.
“The whole day is about acknowledging the role women play in family as mothers, sisters, aunties, daughters,” Kylie said. “For a football club that can be seen as a male-dominated area to be able to have that day is nice.” As they have done for more than a decade, this year the women gathered at the gate and after a welcome to country and smoking ceremony, walked across the oval together with the men lined up, acknowledging them as they walked past.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling because it’s quite a powerful moment,” Kylie said. Afterwards people gathered at the President’s Luncheon and Kylie said this year’s guest speaker was an inspiration to all. “It’s just that time for everyone to come together and reflect on what’s just happened with the walk,” she said. “Aunty Pam Pendersen was our guest speaker for the lunch.
“She is a brilliant role model, she’s in her 70’s still running marathons, she’s the daughter of Uncle Sir Doug Nicholls and beating breast cancer.” While the day is about social inclusion, Kylie said the rivalry between Rumba and Congupna was strong with the A-grade netballers and senior footballers fighting it out for the Unity Cup.
“Once you put a cup on the table it creates that little bit of competitive rivalry, which is good, it’s healthy,” she said. While Rumba brought home the Unity Cup in the football, Congupna’s netballers were victorious.
