10/7/2023 0 Comments Leave slack jawedInitially, Jackson was to be transferred 'under escort' to Sister Kate's Home but ended up at Moore River ( Rabbit Proof Fence) with his sisters. The arm of the Native Affairs Department was powerful, and eventually Syd's family were tracked down at Tarmoola station near Leonora in the WA Goldfields. He was a 'half-caste', a blunt descriptor that the authorities at the time did not view favourably. The reason for this was what the colour of his skin represented. Taken away by a formal arrest warrant when he was three years old, he was separated from his family for 20 years and would meet his parents only twice before they died. The reason for Jackson being unable to locate his birth details were simple, yet complex. YOKAYI FOOTY ON DEMAND Tap here to see more episodes, highlights It said, "records for the period 1940 to 1951 state that no reference to the birth of Sydney Jackson can be found." Technically, Jackson did not exist. Weeks later a letter was supplied by Mr Frank Gare, Western Australia's last Commissioner of Native Welfare. There was no record of Jackson being born, hence the passport could not be issued. Picture: AFL PhotosĮmerging from his office some minutes later, the clerk had a pained look. Syd Jackson with Carlton's Jeff Garlett, Eddie Betts and Chris Yarran in 2011. I had a lot of help from people and I worked hard to reward them by not failing. There was a lot that I lost in terms of my family, my culture, my language. From a NAIDOC ball speech in Perth in 2008, he explained:įor me, if it wasn't for my football, I know my life as part of Australia's Stolen Generation could have been starkly different. ![]() What he told me left me slack-jawed and in awe. Sitting in the offices of the Sarina Russo Group in Collingwood, Jackson's story unfurled before me like some epic historical tapestry. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, as I got to interview some of my heroes. THE AFL HONOURS SYD JACKSON Read the full statementįast-forward several years, I was travelling around Australia having secured seed funding from the University of Melbourne where I was working to write the biographies of all the members of the AFL's Indigenous team of the Century. His back story was the most compelling I had ever heard. From 1970, Jackson became a person of real interest to me, not just because of his football prowess. ![]() The 2021 Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree, Syd Jacksonįootball, however, has a way of flipping the script. > WATCH THE SYD JACKSON STORY IN THE PLAYER BELOWįrom Mission life to the big time: Syd Jackson's trailblazing story According to football myth, the champagne was being supped with fierce abandon by the Pies personnel as the inexplicable hubris bubbled over with the fizz. It was when Carlton coach Ron Barassi implored his side, trailing Collingwood by 44 points at half-time, to handball and play on at all costs in the second half. WATCH 'EM NOW More from the Deadliest Files ON DEMAND right here It is seen as the genesis of the modern game. Ostensibly, 1970 is about the Grand Final of that year between arch rivals Collingwood and Carlton. It was here I read Flanagan's football reports in The Age during the 80s which led me to his books. I was undertaking a PhD on the Krakouer brothers, sitting in the State Library for four straight months going through the microfilm archive. I FIRST came across Syd Jackson in Martin Flanagan's book 1970. This is the Syd Jackson story, as told by historian Dr Sean Gorman ![]() Playing 136 games for the Carlton Football Club from 1969-76, the dual-premiership player has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including supporting the Blues Foundation with the Syd Jackson Program named in his honour. This year's Sir Doug Nicholls Round will also recognise Australian Football Legend Syd Jackson and his contribution to the game and the community. Carlton legend Syd Jackson and (inset) on the backpage of a newspaper during his playing days.
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