To celebrate NAIDOC Week, the Gold Coast SUNS are proud to share a reworking of the club’s theme song in Yugambeh language.
From the deep drone of the didgeridoo to the echoed laughter of the kookaburra, the song weaves together the culture and stories of the region.
Combining traditional language and instruments, the song is proudly performed by the Yugambeh Youth Choir, a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth aged between 5 and 25 years of age.
Having performed at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony and for the Australian Wallabies, the choir can now add the Gold Coast SUNS to their ever-expanding resume of collaborators.
Choir founder Dr Candace Kruger, a proud Kombumerri (Gold Coast) and Ngugi (Moreton Island) yarrabilginngunn woman said to record the club song in Yugambeh language was a fantastic way to bring Indigenous culture to life.
“The Gold Coast SUNS approached some Yugambeh regional elders and asked to work with someone in the community on a localised Gold Coast story and bring it to life,” Dr Kruger said.
“This is all about living culture, yesterday there was living culture and today these are the same stories we need to preserve and teach for tomorrow. It is about the language of the land and us all being custodians and carekeepers at this point in time.
“We all live here, we all have the same responsibility to grow plants, look after our waterways and make sure we are preserving the area. So in true reconciliation, which is what this narrative is, it’s a weaving together of English and Yugambeh and recognising that it’s always been there and is still here.”
The Yugambeh language group are the traditional custodians of the land located within the Logan City, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, and Tweed City regions whose ancestors all spoke one or more dialects of the Yugambeh language.
Like football, music is a community and has the power to promote togetherness and belonging.
“This song is another great opportunity for our players and staff to learn about the local Yugambeh language. We continue to embed culture into everything we do here at the SUNS and we always enjoy giving our supporters and community something to be proud of,” SUNS Indigenous Programs Coordinator Jarrod Harbrow said.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to the Yugambeh elders for allowing us to use their language and stories.”
The song debuted on the weekend, with the club’s players running out to the Yugambeh rendition for the Round 16 clash against Collingwood at Heritage Bank Stadium.
