Adam Goodes is a proud Aboriginal man who stands strong for his people, and I’m honoured to have painted his portrait.
When I saw the documentary The Final Quarter about Adam’s final season of AFL, my guts were churning as I relived Adam’s experiences with relentless racism on and off the field. Memories of my own experiences were stirred up and I wanted to reach out and reconnect with Adam.
We share some similar stories and experiences - of disconnection from culture, language and Country, and the constant pressures of being an Aboriginal man in this country. We ‘ve also both got young daughters, and don’t want them to have to go through those same experiences.
When I was younger and growing up in the foster system in Perth, Indigenous footballers were like heroes to me. Goodesy is much more than a great footballer though, he took a strong stand against racism and said ‘enough is enough’. I stand strong with you too, brother.
