The story behind the Indigenous boots

Students from the Beyond the Broncos program across Queensland and northern New South Wales will feature heavily in Indigenous Round.

In the third year of the tradition, 23 Brisbane Broncos players will wear Indigenous designs on their boots, hand painted by students in the Beyond the Broncos Program.

The players’ boots were distributed to the eight areas within the program; Toowoomba, Redlands, Moreton Bay, Logan, Ipswich, Wide Bay, SW QLD and Northern NSW regions.

Below, the students tell their story behind the artwork.

Cory Paix

Painted By: Delray

The story illustrated in the artwork on Cory Paix boots depicts his journey through his sporting career. The journey starts at the back of the boot with the symbol for person symbolizing Cory as an ordinary boy.

Along the sides of the boots, the base color is painted brown for the earth with the white lines and circles showing his path from his early rugby league days in Toowoomba through to the various levels of his rugby league career to his current role in the Brisbane Broncos team.

The symbol on the front of the boots means ‘man’, the strong man Cory has worked hard to become throughout his sporting career and within his life. The colored mounds on the inside of the boots illustrate the mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range on which Toowoomba sits and the mounds on the outside of the boots illustrate the highs and lows of his sporting career. The colors on the back sides of the boots also depict the rugby league clubs Cory has been a member of during his journey.

Blake Mozer

Painted By: Hailey

In the design it has many symbols representing all the people in Blake’s life to help and guide him to achieve his goals. The design shows growth and success of Blake’s journey from being a young boy to a man, The boomerang represents his dedication to the Broncos, his strength and commitment to continue to return and show up and do his best.

Kobe Hetherington

Painted By: Tanika

Indigenous artworks and paintings often focus heavily on storytelling. Helping keep stories alive. Throughout the shoe I tried to incorporate more earthy colors to reinforce connection to land and country.

At the tip of the shoe is the main focal point, a meeting place. The three lines stemming off of it are meant to represent constant connection to family, to mates and footy, and the land. The tongue of the shoe, though not visible, animal tracks are located towards the bottom shrubs randomly covering the sides and a tree in the top center.

Representing love for animals, nature, and exploration. On the back of the shoe, is a man in the middle, aims to represent Kobe, with a number nine on his chest reinforce connection to his past and constant association with the number.

Beside him on both sides, are people representing the people supporting him in his life, whether it be friends, siblings or parents. On one side of the shoe, is his name. In the background both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag colors. On the opposite side are mainly shades of blue, purple, black, and white. In the middle are footprints, representing journey and Kobe’s journey from past to the present.

As well as his future journey. Overcoming what is put before him, constantly putting one foot in front of the other. The colors were chosen based in being calm and light colors, blue representing the waves and the ocean. Meaning continuity and resilience. Overall, the shoes signify Kobe’s journey through life and constant support, love for adventures and experiences and connection to his past, present and future.

Keenan Palasia

Painted By: Marana

The Crocodile is a large, predatory reptile. Despite their fearsome reputation, crocodiles are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and complex social structure. Sport is a field that requires those aspects, therefore having the crocodile represent their similar skills can help tell a story. The color of the shoe is inspired by the Aboriginal flag of red, yellow, and black as the main pattern, and the rainbow representing the story of the Rainbow Serpent.

Patrick Carrigan

Painted By: Charlie

I was really proud to be chosen to paint Patrick’s story on his footy boots for the NRL Indigenous Round. Especially since Patty is a local Holland Park boy like me.

I started with the Sand Goanna which is the totem for the area Patty grew up in (Holland Park). On the inside of the first boot, I have painted circles representing Patty’s family – his Dad, Mum and two sisters – and the connection between them. This is also painted on the outside of the second boot. The smaller circles represent waterholes to symbolise Brisbane (Patty’s hometown) and the Brisbane River.

On the heel of the second boot is the Aboriginal symbol for ‘man’ representing Patty. On the front of the boot is a circle symbolising Patty’s life, and the different paths he has taken. On the inside I have painted human footprints, in different colours, to represent Patty’s rugby league journey and teams he has played for – Easts Tigers, Brisbane Broncos and Queensland (State of Origin).

Xavier Willison

Painted By: Maddy

Hi, my name is Maddison, I am a proud Indigenous descendent from Ngemba Tribe. I have painted one side of the boots blue, green and white representing Torres Strait Islander culture and the other side, black, yellow and red to represent Aboriginal culture.

I have done this to represent both Indigenous cultures. I also added my tribe the Ngemba Peoples totem the sand goanna on the aboriginal side, I also added emu and goanna footprints and the symbol representing the people. The painting is the bringing together of everyone to celebrate Indigenous culture with the focus on the totem of the Sand Goanna.

Corey Jensen

Painted By: Norma

Hi, my name is Norma, I am a proud Wakka Wakka, Gubbi Gubbi and Yuggera women. For my boots that I have painted I added a carpet snake on one side with white, brown, and pink colors to represent the Aboriginal culture and for the other side I painted a yarning circle with the colors blue and white to represent Torres Strait Islander culture. I chose to paint this so it could show both cultures.

Tyson Smoothy

Painted By: Char’lea

My name is Char’Lea, I am grateful for the opportunity to paint the boots for the Indigenous Round. It is an honor to paint Tyson Smoothy’s boots.

The Boot painting is inspired by my Nan. She is an amazing lady who has encouraged and inspired me to achieve. She has given me strength when I felt like giving up. Her life has been filled with ups and downs, but she has always been there for everyone even when she was extremely unwell. Family is everything to me and to my Nan and she is the reason our family is still together. The image of the sun on the heel of the boots is my representation of my Nan being the sun, the center, the warmth (love) of all our lives. I love her with all my heart.

Kotoni Staggs

Painted By: Georgina

The meaning that I wanted to represent in the shoe design is the connection that First Nation people have. This is symbolized by the colors used – red, orange and yellows represent Aboriginal people.

The cooler colors – blue, green and teals represent Torres Strait Islander people. The writing and post code was requested by Kotoni Staggs himself. To represent a bit of him on the boot I added a goanna, his totem. I wanted the shoe to represent a sense of unity and community that is the First Nation community.

Tristan Sailor

Painted By: Pheonix

The boots tell the story of the journey an indigenous student takes, the journey of learning our culture and its past. The snake is, our people traveling under the starry night, this is seen on the sides of the shoes, with the indigenous symbol for star.

The snake is traveling towards the front of the boot, to our meeting place. The color scheme was inspired by my school uniform – dark blue, teal and yellow, as this is the place where I meet my sisters and brothers, and the place of learning where I’m taught about my culture. The boots told my story and the story of many other students at my school and others, about the parts of our culture we’ve learned, what we are learning and what we will one day learn.

Ezra Mam

Painted By: Storm, Makaylah, DJ & Philip

The shark represents Ezra’s totem. The shark is known for only being able to swim forward, representing Ezra’s hard work and determination.

Turtles are a deep part of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal culture and have spiritual meanings connected to family and wherever we go – we know that we are protected just like how the turtle shell protects the body.

The stingray defines the importance of predator vs prey similar to Ezra on the field – he becomes the predator and helps his team to win by defeating anyone in his path and the competition at large. The kangaroo represents big steps in life and his journey.

Starting with the Broncos he took a big leap of faith by himself alongside the support of the coach. The Emu represents smaller steps to recognize the small acknowledgments he took every day to be the athlete he is today.

River/Rain/Stars – River represents his journey from playing junior rugby league and finding his passions, to playing for QLD in the Australian Secondary Schools Merit team, and being developed in the Broncos development squad at the same time, to the amazing accomplishments he has achieved with the Souths Logan Magpies side to the NRL Brisbane Broncos team and how his journey hasn’t stopped but will continue to flow in abundance. The Aboriginal dot art represents his family and many supporters that Ezra has as a young man.  

Ethan Quia-Ward

Painted By: Shania

The artwork represents the journey of one’s sporting success. Starting at home in your country and travelling through life and visiting many places, growing and learning along the way but never forgetting your roots, your family and your culture.

Adam Reynolds

Painted By: Chelsea

One boot has the symbols painted on it representing the meeting places of Redfern and Waterloo. This was done as Adam requested the places be written on his boots. The tracks on this boot represent Adam and his progression through life and his football career and where he is now being successful in his career as an inspiring football player and awesome captain.

The other boot has symbols which represent Adam’s family including his wife, children and the other one is shelter. Adam loves being a husband and father and provides for his family. The tracks represent that sometimes things are tough juggling everything but he has kept their family life mostly out of the limelight which is very important to him. Adam’s family is his greatest achievement. The boots were mostly left as yellow due to Adam’s request.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Deine Mariner

Painted By: Daniella

On Deine Mariner’s boots I have put on my totems which is a wood duck and a ring-tailed possum. The ring-tailed possum is from Tabulum and the wood duck is from Malabugiman.

I do not know much about the meaning of the wood duck but the ring-tailed possum is a message animal. The ring-tailed possum tweeters in the rooftops and in the ceiling. It can be seen on the roadway, sometimes with its paw across its eyes, in a crying mood, telling of a death of a loved one, a relative or friend. In Wahlubal language the possum is called ‘Guyahyn’.

On the boots I used white which represents the spirit colour. Black is the colour of the night sky and represents Aboriginal people. Red is the colour of land or of our blood. Yellow is the colour of the sun and being sacred and orange represents the earth.

Reece Walsh

Painted By: Chelsea

My artwork was inspired by Reece’s journey, travelling through many teams through the years of growing up playing rugby league. From the Brisbane Broncos to the NZ Warriors then back home to the mighty Broncos where he first started his NRL career.

It shows the movement of the community and himself flow throughout the story of his years playing football and shows the team yarning together for the year as a family. It has been a massive achievement for myself, my mob and my community to be privileged to showcase my artwork for such a talented athlete.

Martin Taupau

Painted By: Charli

My artwork was inspired by both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, with the incorporation of Marty’s culture using a Samoan design on the boots as well. I am very grateful for this experience to have been chosen to showcase my artwork on his boots during this year’s Indigenous round.

Jock Madden

Painted By: Geraldine

These boots represent the connection of the Torres Strait Islander mob and our Aboriginal mob. How we connect through water and desert. These boots are in celebration of how we connect and come together as one. One boot shows the journey from one mob to connect with our mob through the land and sea. The other boot shows many mobs coming together as one to connect and represent one mob.

Brendon Frei

Painted By: Emma

When creating these boots, I went through a process of trial and error. I used inspiration from various media sources as well as the smaller artwork I created. More inspiration came from my history as an indigenous woman and the small, yet strong knowledge I hold about culture.

The separation of land and sea was used to represent journeys we have all travelled, whether that be life, struggles or victories. That we are all connected through memories and travel; I also symbolised the connection with the land that we hold today. I linked this symbolism with animal prints walking the journey alongside humans. Overall, I felt these boots portrayed the journey that players travel, their strengths, losses, and wins, as well as the emotional connection with family and the land we are on today.

Corey Oates

Painted By: Lidiah

My name is Lidiah, I am a proud Wajuk Noongar and Wongi women from Western Australia not only that, but I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to paint a pair of NRL boots for Corey Oates this year. My artwork is a representation of the connection to our ancestors, our future generation, our land and the animals that walk with us.

I knew the theme of NAIDOC week was ‘For Our Elders’ so I wanted to dedicate them to our Elders. The black represents the night sky since our ancestors are in the stars watching our people in a sense, by using traditional colors that come from the earth and were once used by those before us shows the representation of traditions which we will then pass on as we get older and pass.

The blue and more modern colors are the representation of how our people are now as we have come so far showing our new ways and how we live today. Both boots have patches of each other to show our ancestors paving the way to our present and that we are still connected to the traditions we were taught. The boots show that in all elements we are both in spirit with our present but always have our way of the past.

I hope you find the boots to have some meaning as I felt when painting them.

Corey Oates

Painted By: Eve

Turtles at Feeding Time

When deciding on the design for Corey’s boots, I wanted to do something that combined both our interests and history. I know that we both have a passion for water, that we both come from areas that are close to coastal towns and a love for aquatic creatures. So, with this knowledge in hand, I’ve created boots telling the story of turtles feeding on jellyfish. Jellyfish are often overlooked and known as being a nuisance in the water.

But without something so common, one of our most beautiful and protected creatures, the turtle, would cease to exist. You will notice that there is no symmetrical mirrored pattern on the boots, as I wanted mirrored pattern on the boots, as I wanted it to feel natural and flow, just like the ocean. With my mother’s help and encouragement, we finished the boots in 3 and a half weeks, and walked away feeling proud of what we had accomplished.

Logan Bayliss

Painted By: Teya

I used orange for the base as it complements the blue in the Scottish flag. The colours in the medium circles represent the teams Logan have played for in the past and current. Broncos, South Logan magpies, Scottish squad, Brisbane Tigers, Qld Maroons, North Qld Cowboys, Mackay cutters and the Townsville Black Hawks.

The bigger circles on the sides of the boots represent Logan’s Scottish heritage.
The larger ones on the toes and sides of the boots represent the traditional ochre colours that would have been used in the natural habitat.

Kurt Capewell

Painted By: Summer

My painting represents Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and all Communities coming together.

Jordan Riki

Painted By: Kyrah

The Broncos are a club of diversity, growth, and passion.
Through the portraits displayed on Jordan Riki’s boots, a story of his own diversity, growth and passion are brought to light.

First let us start with the right boot. The Cook Islands design. It is an uncomplicated design portraying some flowers on top of some large palm leaves. It is firstly a starting point. A depiction and a visible point in time set and engraved into the minds of everyone who meets Jordan.

It is his home. It is his origin, regardless of what club he first started with, or where is lives now or where he plays, the Cook Islands are Jordan’s beginning chapter, and on the boots, it is quite literally the start. As we expand out of the pattern, there is not much going on, a lot of empty space with a couple trails here and there.

Those represent all the opportunities and paths he has chosen, to get to where he is now, and the small empty spaces around them are all the unseen opportunities or the paths he has yet to take and follow, his past, present and future all in one.

Moving to the top of the boot, it looks like a random pattern but, really, it symbolizes the sheer number footballs Jordan has kicked in his career as an NRL player. When you turn the boot to the side, the pattern looks like a football, the meaning behind this can be chosen by Jordan, but to me, it symbolizes his first football. His first kick. His first tackle. His first game. His first anything that has helped him start his career in the NRL.

The totems each don’t just represent the tribal places they’re from, but they also represent the various places and people that Jordan has met in his journey to the Broncos. Each is also a representation of how far he has come in his career, from starting with the Hornby Panthers to now finding himself with the Brisbane Broncos, it’s a message and a goal for him. Each totem has a different pattern behind it as well, and that represents all the different places and environments he has been in throughout his journey.

Jordan Riki has an incredible story to tell, but that narrative isn’t over yet, and I hope by using my talents, I have been able to pulsate these boots with his incredible energy and passion. From his mind down to his feet, Jordan has generated an attitude that I envy but only in the way that I could not completely infuse it into the boots, because I’m sure if I had, they would have been destroyed by the sheer force of color, pattern and paint being applied to them.

The feeling of pride and overwhelming emotion that a person feels when they hold or even see the boots is inexplainable. It’s a feeling that no word can describe, happiness? Excitement? Dread? All this mashed into a big ball of anything and pushed into my brain.

That is what it felt like to be given this opportunity. I won’t lie, the nerves and the fear and the ever so overwhelming care I took to personally ensure nothing would happen to these boots while in my care, even after I was done and even after I knew nothing would happen to them, the emotional bond I made with the designs on these boots is one that I will cherish for a lifetime, something I never thought I would be able to do and being able to do it is something I will never take for granted to regret.