Wests Tigers will wear the club's 2019 Indigenous Jersey this weekend as they take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium on Saturday as part of the NRL's Indigenous Round.
Wests Tigers’ 2019 Indigenous Jersey is inspired by the traditional lands on which the club is based upon - lands of the Wangal, Gadigal and Tharawal people. The design uses topographical lines to form patterns that link pathways and meeting places as a way of uniting cultures to strengthen knowledge and understanding.
The impressive artwork was produced by mother and son duo Vicki Golding and Dennis Golding, who have designed the club's Indigenous jerseys in recent years.
“Last year, we were contacted by Wests Tigers to design another artwork for the jersey along with my son as a collaboration," said Vicki.
"It was a warming experience to work with my son on it as Wests Tigers fans."
Wests Tigers Indigenous Jersey
It was a first for the duo to collaborate on a design with both ensuring they incorporated their unique styles of art while also recognising the local lands and its people through the strong presence of colour.
Vicki and Dennis gave a breakdown of the story behind the design of the jersey.
“Within the middle of the jersey – the circle represents local meeting grounds and camping sites, with the line flowing through the middle to form waterways and river ways to highlight graphical pattering of the lands,” said Dennis.
“The three solid blocks represent the local areas that Wests Tigers practice, play and work at – showing their own pathways.”
“You’ll notice the white linings around the designs are included within all of my artworks," Vicki added. "It's quite special and personal to me as it shows my spirit showing the team guidance."
For the pair, creating a unique jersey specifically to be represent and be worn during Indigenous Round is a special occasion with the artwork representing the different generational storytelling and passing of cultural knowledge.
“It’s great to see teams jumping on board to create a jersey that incorporates local artists," said Dennis.
"It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate culture and history with fellow teams taking a moment to form stories around art and share their voices.”
“It’s great to bring together the indigenous and non-indigenous players together to unite as one, bringing that connection through learning," Vicki added.
