Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin has said she will attend Thursday night’s Melbourne Storm home game despite ongoing concerns with the club’s board.<\/p>\n
The Storm announced this week that an Acknowledgement of Country would be held prior to their match with the Brisbane Broncos, marking the NRL’s Indigenous Round.<\/p>\n
The club also apologised to Aunty Joy for the cancellation of a Welcome to Country before to the Storm’s Anzac Day match,<\/a> where the Wurundjeri elder had been at the stadium to perform.<\/p>\n Aunty Joy told Anzac Day Welcome to Country ‘inappropriate’<\/a><\/p>\n Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin says she does not know if she could work with Melbourne Storm again after the NRL club cancelled her Welcome to Country ceremony on Anzac Day.<\/p>\n Ahead of Thursday’s match, Aunty Joy said she would attend in support of players, staff and community, despite a resolution not being reached with the club’s board after Anzac Day.<\/p>\n “This is about the board, not the game. This is about setting a standard not just for Melbourne Storm but across all sporting codes,” Aunty Joy said.<\/p>\n “I will always stand strong beside community and as a leader take responsibility to care for those who hurt badly.”<\/p>\n Melbourne said at the time that the club’s “board had not approved for it to be held on Anzac Day”.<\/p>\n The cancellation came hours after Bunurong and Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown was booed and heckled by members of the crowd at the dawn service<\/a> at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.<\/p>\n The Storm said its decision was not related to the booing earlier in the day, but Aunty Joy said she was told it was<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aunty Joy said Wurundjeri people wanted to continue their association with the Melbourne Storm, but highlighted they “cannot safely undertake formal ceremonies” due to one board member’s reported links with lobby group Advance Australia.<\/p>\n “I carry a deep responsibility to community and will not compromise my integrity as a proud Aboriginal woman and community elder,” she said.<\/p>\n