The 2010 Long Walk pioneered by Essendon Club Champion, AFL Ambassador and key Indigenous leader, Michael Long, is coming to the Top End and will take place prior to the ‘Dreamtime in Darwin’ clash between Melbourne and Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium on Saturday, May 22.
"While the traditional Long Walk at the Dreamtime at the ‘G game in Melbourne will still take place on May 22, the added Long Walk in Darwin enables us to further our reach and deliver our key messages of Strength, Respect & Protect to a wider audience," Long said.
Now in its sixth year, the national Long Walk program has taken an exciting new step with the merging of art and sport, launching a set of three new official 2010 Long Walk tee-shirts with the themes Strength, Respect and Protect. The artwork was designed by acclaimed Indigenous artist, Clinton Nain.
While the Strength themed shirt draws on the idea of walking in unity, Respect echoes the slogan "Where is the Love (for Indigenous people)?" worn on the original walk in 2004. The third shirt themed Protect features fragile mission flowers, symbolic of the need to protect the fragility of Indigenous culture. The tee-shirts are available for sale at
www.thelongwalk.com.au and will be available for purchase at TIO Stadium on May 22 at the Dreamtime in Darwin game. Nain has donated the original art works to The Long Walk to be auctioned, with proceeds going to The Long Walk programs.
"The Long Walk, prior to the Dreamtime game in Darwin, will be somewhat smaller, but perhaps more symbolic than that of the Melbourne Long Walk, which is well established and has a very large following," Long added.
Local school children from Jingili and Karama along with key indigenous figures from the Top End will walk the perimeter of TIO Stadium during the pre-match celebrations before the Demons and Power game.
For more information about The Long Walk visit
The Australian Government through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is proud to support Dreamtime in Darwin and the AFL Indigenous Round in 2010.
In collaboration with the AFL and its corporate partners, DEEWR highlights the opportunities for corporate Australia to take a leading role in closing the economic and social gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Through its education, training and employment programs and the Learn. Earn. Legend! message, DEEWR also strives to engage and assist young Indigenous people to help themselves and their community for a brighter future.
For more information about DEEWR, its programs and Learn Earn Legend! go to