A Hawk in the desert

Kaleena Webbe never expected to find such a "mad keen" supporter of the Illawarra Hawks some 3000 kilometers northwest of Wollongong in the remote Aboriginal community of Laramba in the NT

A long-time supporter of the Illawarra Hawks, Kaleena Webbe can see why the club is so loved by its loyal fans. But she never expected to find such a “mad keen” supporter of the Hawks some 3000 kilometers northwest of Wollongong. That is exactly what Webbe ran into recently while volunteering for the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA) in the remote Aboriginal community of Laramba in the Northern Territory.

“I was shocked,” she told the Mercury. “I had to do a double-take to make sure he was actually wearing a Hawks jersey. “To my surprise it was a Hawks jersey. After talking to him (Kathan Stafford, 17) I found out he and his younger brother (Reagan) had been to Wollongong many years ago and watched a Hawks game against Sydney Kings. Reagan actually goes for the Kings. It was funny seeing the brothers argue about which NBL team is the best. It just goes to show the Hawks v Kings rivalry is strong everywhere, even in a remote Aboriginal community 3000km away.”

Webbe herself has a long affiliation with the Illawarra Hawks. The Wollongong-born and-bred woman was once upon a time head cheerleader for the Hawks back in the days when the likes of Gordie McLeod, ‘Stonnin’ Norman Taylor and Chuck Harmison ruled the roost at the Snakepit. These and many other Hawks players in the 1980s and 90s often frequented Wollongong gyms run by Kaleena’s father Lincohi Wehbe. “I love this club!” Webbe said. “Ever since I can remember my family was involved with the Hawks in one way or another. I remember all the players back then coming to Dad’s gyms. He would help with their strength and conditioning work. I was even a head cheerleader for a short period of time. “I remember our family always used to come to the Snakepit to watch the Hawks play. They were great times.”

The club was all about community back then and the pleasing thing is the Hawks are still all about community.

“They do so much for the community. I knew they would be happy to help when I asked them to send jerseys to Kathan and the other boys in Laramba. The boys love basketball and sports in general. I’m so happy I can help these kids through my volunteering work with NASCA.”

NASCA provides holistic support to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, supporting them on their educational pathway to a self-determined future.

The Illawarra Hawks are well known for their work supporting and promoting basketball in Indigenous communities, Former Hawk Tyson Demos played a big part in the NBL introducing an Indigenous round to its schedule of games. Demos and Australian Boomers skipper Patty Mills have been instrumental in ensuring an Indigenous round of fixtures is included every season. Mills, who plays for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA, continues to promote the game to remote Aboriginal communities. Illawarra Hawks player Tun Coenraad said the club was more than happy to send jerseys to the young kids in Laramba.

“That is the least we can do, to be honest,” Coenraad told the Mercury. “I mean, I love stories like this, You see the reach that you have. It’s great, especially in such a remote area. “Whenever something like that comes up, you know, it’s always good to take advantage of and let them know we appreciate the Hawks family even though they’re over 3000 kilometers away. This is just a small token of appreciation for those guys. It’s something small we can do, but hopefully it means a lot to them.”

This year hopefully with COVID in the background, we’re really trying to get more community-focused than we ever have before. We want to really get out to schools and make a difference and get kids excited about the Hawks again.”

Coenraad said it was really important the club followed the good work of former players such as Demos by promoting the game and the Hawks in Indigenous communities. “Look, Tyson has really been the ambassador when it comes to the Indigenous space and the amount of great work that he’s done speaks for itself. We’re trying to follow his lead in terms of bringing on groups in the Indigenous community.

“Professional athletes have a unique ability to change a young boy or girl’s life by the words they say. Kids hold athletes in high regard. We have a responsibility to be positive role models. I remember when I was in school in Brisbane and I met Wendell Sailor, who was playing for the Broncos. I still remember him just patting me on the· shoulder and saying you’ll be all right mate, just keep working hard. That phrase has just stuck in my head forever, and it was a really positive experience for me. It’s important we give kids similarly positive experiences,” said Coenraad.

This story was originally published in the Illawarra Mecury Newspaper.